Project Daylight
by Foxx Laverinth
Summary: Xanatos takes it upon himself to create an organization for promoting a positive image of gargoyles. Who he picks out to run this venture is a bit surprising. Plus, an old friend will make an interesting reappearance.
1. Strange Alliances

Project Daylight  
by Foxx Laveinth (FoxxLaverinth@yahoo.com)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Gargoyles characters. They are the property of Disney and Buena Vista and other people more important than me. I'm just borrowing them for a while.   
  
PREVIOUSLY ON GARGOYLES…   
  
The Magus nearly collapsed on the steps up to the altar. It was by will alone that he was able to prop himself up on the rectangular stone in the center. He heard the three sisters approach him from behind, but hadn't the strength to turn and face them.   
  
"You merely delay the inevitable!" cried one.   
  
"Where is the sleeping king?!" asked another, noticing Arthur's absence.   
  
The Magus ignored their questions. He had to defeat these three and he had to do it soon. But how? His energy was nearly spent and there was nothing that could…   
  
Iron.   
  
He drew all the energy he could from the magic of the stone tablet and turned with an exclamation of pain towards the pieces of fallen armor that lay on the floor behind the sisters. The strain of using this borrowed magic was almost unbearable, but with last ounces of his strength he managed to cast one last spell.   
  
"Iron armor… swords and riches… form a chain… to bind these witches!" The Weird Sisters barely had time to register their surprise as glowing chains of iron encircled all of them, binding them together. They fell to the floor with cries of outrage. The sorcerer, drained beyond repair, fell upon the tablet behind him in a heap.   
  
-----   
  
"Oh, Magus," Princess Katherine muttered, not for the first time, as she gazed upon the dying form of her advisor, "What have ye done?"   
  
"Princess… I-"   
  
"Shh… Lay still now." she interrupted him as he tried to lift his head. "We'll get ye back to the palace… and then…"   
  
"No," the Magus shook his head. "No, Katherine. I think… I should like to stay here." The Princess backed up a bit, grief stricken, as Goliath stepped forward.   
  
"I… owe you a great debt, Magus," the large gargoyle rumbled.   
  
The sorcerer looked at him in surprise, managing to raise his head up a bit this time. "You…? But… I cursed your clan!"   
  
Goliath shook his head. "You saved my children."   
  
The old, white-haired man let out a grunt of pain, and his head fell back down on the makeshift pillow they'd supplied him. "Oh, I'm so tired…" he practically whispered. "I think I should… like to rest…"   
  
"You cannot leave me now!" cried Katherine, in tears.   
  
"Never…" the Magus breathed out, even as darkness began to consume him, "…my Princess…"   
  


--AVALON part 3--

  
  
Robyn Canmore watched the scene unravel before her in stunned fascination. She had thought the other gargoyles would be allies to the Demon in her attempt to destroy humanity, but the leader had just destroyed his clan's ability to benefit from that plan. Clutching her wounded brother in her arms, she turned numbly to the detective.   
  
"I don't understand…" she said softly. "He risked his life to save us all?"   
  
Elisa turned to her with a tired but almost proud expression on her face. "That's what he does," she said. "That's who he is."   
  


--HUNTER'S MOON part 3--

  
  
Hudson flipped through the channels on the television until he finally found one that looked interesting. There on the screen was Travis Marshall, a well known reporter who often covered any gargoyle related stories. It wasn't so much that man he was interested in, as it was his guests. He turned the volume up.   
  
"Our guests," he was saying, "are Assistant District attorney Margot Yale and Medieval scholar Lennox MacDuff." The camera focused on the gray bearded man. "Lennox, you believe we should reach out to these gargoyles?"   
  
The man smiled. "That is correct, Travis. All we need to do is approach them with tolerance."   
  


--THE JOURNEY--

  
  
CHAPTER ONE: STRANGE ALLIANCES   
  
The Island of Avalon was a mystical wonder created centuries ago by the leaders of the Third Race - a race of immortal and mythological beings. For many millennia the island had never been trod upon by the feet of mortals. That is, up until the last thousand years or so. For the last millennium, a clan of gargoyles as well as three humans had made the land their home while the fair folk had abandoned it on a sojourn to the mortal realm. Two humans still remained, they and their clan finally welcomed among the immortals by the Lord of Avalon himself.   
  
Up until the last couple years, death had never been a part of Avalon. Even the grass, when crushed beneath the feet of the islands inhabitants, sprang back up after a few moments as though it had never been harmed. No one had ever been killed there. How do you kill a member of an immortal race?   
  
However, a battle had been recently waged on the island, and in that struggle two people had fallen victim to the boon of mortality. Two beings had died in the land of the eternal.   
  
One of these poor mortals was a man of evil intentions who had eventually been devoured by his own foolery. He sought great power by means which were not his to control. His soul had been destroyed - disintegrated by the very instruments of his magic. Nothing of him remained. Even the talismans used in his enchantment had been taken from the island.   
  
In this the land was pacified. The death was acceptable if no trace of it remained.   
  
However, there was one other death on that same day. A human sorcerer had tapped into the very power of Avalon in order to defeat three of its children. He was old, and the magic had overwhelmed him in the end. It drained him of what energy he had left, and eventually killed him. His body lay on the very stone tablet King Arthur had slept on before his awakening by the island's mortal dwellers.   
  
There had been no decay. His body was as intact now as it had been the day of his death. Though that had merely been a couple weeks in Avalon's time, on any other place on earth there would be obvious signs by now that the man had been dead for a while. Yet here, there was nothing. If you did not closely examine him and find no breath or heartbeat, you might swear he still lived and was merely sleeping.   
  
But he was dead, really and truly.   
  
And the island was not happy.   
  
+ + + + + + + + + +   
  
Queen Titania stirred restlessly on her throne. There was something in the air, something that was making her distinctly uncomfortable. She looked over at her husband. If he felt it, he was not showing it. He seemed to be quite enjoying himself at the moment, watching a display of magical skill by two of his children. She sighed, trying to join him in his merriment.   
  
After a few more minutes of this, her husband noticed her melancholy mood. "You seem distracted, my queen," he said with a small smile. "Does the performance not suit your fancy?"   
  
Titania returned his smile. "It's not that, my lord," she answered gently. "I believe I am becoming a bit restless from sitting inside for such a time." She rose. "I think I shall take a walk around the island a while. Some fresh air might brighten my spirits."   
  
"Yes, that is a pleasant idea," he remarked casually. "Go and enjoy yourself. We hope you have a merry jaunt."   
  
"I shall try, my lord Oberon," she replied with a bow before vanishing.   
  
She reappeared on the shores of Avalon's lake. She paused for a moment to take in the beauty of her surroundings. It had been some time since she had been able to take a moment to herself and just bask in Avalon's glory. There was no other place on earth that could compare to the splendor that was this Fay created island.   
  
Titania found it difficult to enjoy it for long, however, as the disturbing feeling became stronger. She could feel it in her soul: Something was wrong. The island was off balance somehow.   
  
That was when she heard it.   
  
Somewhere off in the distance she could hear the sound of a harp playing. It was a strange, haunting melody. It was a beautiful lament that sent chills down her spine. She didn't believe it came from any of the children - the sound just wasn't right. The Queen of Avalon began to slowly move towards the sound.   
  
As the sound became louder, she realized the source originated from somewhere outside the Hollow Hill. She also found that she wasn't the only one who'd heard the music.   
  
The "Jackal God" Anubis looked up as she approached. He shook his head sorrowfully. "Queen Titania," he said with a short bow.   
  
Oberon's wife regarded him with curiosity. "What brings you here, Anubis?" she asked. "Are you responsible for this melody?"   
  
The god of death shook his head again. "No," he replied before pointing a finger off towards something behind him. "The harp player sits on the stairway. Can you not see him?"   
  
Titania's followed his gaze towards the foot of the stairs leading into the Hill. At first, she saw nothing. Then, looking harder, she began to make out the faint form of someone sitting at the base. The figure was iridescent, barely distinguishable from the rest of the scenery, and yet it was the origin of the music. It was a human, or had been, that was clad in white robes with long hair of the same color. He appeared to be somewhere in his mid to late twenties, tall with pale skin. It appeared as though he was unaware of their presence, so caught up was he with the sad melody he created from the small stringed instrument in his hands.   
  
"Who is this spirit?" the Queen asked after a few moments.   
  
Anubis sighed. "He is a specter denied freedom," he remarked sadly. "His body lies in yonder hill, unable to properly decay due to the magics of Avalon. I have tried to help him return to earth, but his unnatural death upon this island has tainted his soul with the same dilemma." Again he shook his hound-like head. "There is nothing I can do for him."   
  
Titania watched the ghost a while longer in silence. Anubis, seeing that his Queen was in a strange mood, decided leave her and return to the palace.   
  
The music continued for some time, and Titania found herself lost in it's enchanting melody. There was a sense of longing to its tune, whether it was the ghosts desire for freedom or for something more she could not tell. It was a strange tune, (One only someone who'd lived as a mortal could play) she thought to herself.   
  
Suddenly, the music stopped, and the Queen of Avalon was almost willing to beg him to continue. Then she realized he was looking at her with hollow, spectral eyes.   
  
"So you can see me, then," she said softly, taking a couple steps closer to him.   
  
The ghost nodded his head once in reply.   
  
"Can you speak?" she asked.   
  
The spirit frowned, then opened its mouth as if to respond. After his lips had formed a few words with no sound issuing from them, he sadly shook his head.   
  
_**Then what if I spoke to you this way. Can you answer me now?**_   
  
Her response to this telepathic type message was for him to look extremely startled. He glanced around himself in confusion before focusing on her again. She smiled at him, and he realized her intent.   
  
_If I speak this way, my lady,_ he replied almost timidly, _can you understand me?_   
  
_**I can indeed.**_ She grinned at the sudden look of happiness and relief that washed over his features. He stood up and approached her, bowing reverently.   
  
_My lady Titania,_ came his thought. _It is good to be able to speak with someone again._   
  
She regarded him more carefully now that he had stood and was in full view. There was something about him, something familiar, and she could have sworn she'd heard of his description before. Anubis's words came back to her then. This was the man from the Hollow Hill - the one who had died in the battle with the Archmage. Princess Katherine often spoke of him.   
  
Her brow creased in worry. It would not do to have the Princess know of her old friend's misfortune. Something would have to be done.   
  
Then it hit her. As a spirit of this island he could be granted the assistance of its King. There might just be something she could do for him after all.   
  
Come with me. She motioned for him to follow and he did so, casting one last glance over his shoulder at the Hill before their departure.   
  
+ + + + + + + + + +   
  
Brooklyn looked up from the cards in his hand with a smug expression. Across from him sat Broadway, Angela, and Lexington. Each had their own hand of cards and were scrutinizing them carefully.   
  
Lexington scratched his bald little head and rearranged his cards so that they were in a different order. Happy that things were as they should be, he then looked over at Broadway. The large gargoyle had a perplexed expression on his face. He started to try and take a peek at Angela's hand, but the female gargoyle caught his movement and smirked, pulling her cards out of his line of sight before he could get a good look at them. When he found out he'd been caught, Broadway immediately looked away and tried to act innocent.   
  
"So," Brooklyn drawled out slowly. The smug look hadn't left his face. "Broadway… do you have any FIVES?"   
  
The turquoise gargoyle looked at his hand and frowned. With a few grumbled complaints, he tossed a five of spades to his red skinned friend. The clan's second-in-command grinned at him. "Why thank you, Broadway. You're very generous."   
  
"How come you always know what cards I have?" Broadway whined.   
  
"Simple deduction," Brooklyn answered. "I pay attention to what cards you ask for."   
  
"Oh? Is that how you do it?" his friend asked. "I was wondering how everyone kept figuring that out."   
  
Brooklyn shook his head as Lexington took his turn. The little green gargoyle turned to Angela with a look similar to the one the red gargoyle had worn moments before. "All right, Angela," he smirked. "Got any twos?"   
  
Goliath's daughter smiled right back. "Go fish."   
  
Lexington looked stunned. "No twos? But I was so sure you had one…" He narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you cheating?"   
  
"What?!" asked both Broadway and Angela at once.   
  
"Hey," the larger of the two remarked. "Just because Angela got one past you doesn't mean you have to accuse her of being a cheater!"   
  
Brooklyn chuckled. "You're such a sore loser, Lex," he commented.   
  
"Am not!"   
  
The sound of female laughter soon had all of them turning to the room's entrance, where Eliza Maza had just walked in. Hudson stood next to her, an amused expression written on his face as well. The group of young gargoyles cheered up at the sight.   
  
"Hey, Elisa! Hey, Hudson!" Lexington greeted them cheerily.   
  
"Evening, Lads," the old gargoyle responded.   
  
"If you guys can pull yourselves away from your game for a while," Elisa said, "I have some news."   
  
Broadway grew serious. "It's not about the Quarrymen, is it?" John Castaway's little group had caused them a great deal of trouble over the past months. Things had quieted down a bit after Castaway had been sent to jail, but there was still a threat. After all, Tony Dracon had been able to run his operation from jail. Who was to say Castaway couldn't do the same?   
  
Much to his relief, Elisa shook her head. "No, the Quarrymen are hanging low for a while. They lost some of their public support after that train incident."   
  
"So it's good news, right?" Angela asked hopefully.   
  
The detective shrugged. "It's hard to say. It could be taken either way, but because of recent developments I'd say it's reasonably good."   
  
"What is it?" asked Lexington.   
  
"It's MacBeth," Elisa answered calmly, "or Lennox MacDuff, rather, as he calls himself nowadays. He's got himself a job working for Xanatos - a rather higher up one at that. You could be seeing him a lot more often."   
  
The trio and Angela looked thoughtful after this announcement. "Do you think we can trust him?" Brooklyn finally questioned.   
  
"I remember him arguing in our favor on the news a while back," Hudson replied. "And last we all saw from him it appeared he was finally on our side. I believe he no longer means us any harm. Demona, maybe… but not any of us, I'd wager."   
  
Angela crossed her arms. "So, what's his job?"   
  
"Apparently," Elisa smirked, "he's in charge of 'Gargoyle Security', or something like that."   
  
"Makes sense," Brooklyn muttered. "Guess he's the best qualified."   
  
"Wow, we really WILL be seeing him more often!" Angela remarked thoughtfully.   
  
"Let's just hope we're actually on good terms," murmured Lexington.   
  
+ + + + + + + + + +   
  
The black convertible pulled to a stop in front of the MacDuff manor. The blonde driving it peeked over the top of her sunglasses in astonishment. She slowly exited the vehicle, barely taking her eyes off the site before her.   
  
"A manor…?" she asked aloud in awe. "More like a castle. You would think you would hear more about a type of place like this near Manhattan. Wonder why I never saw it in the brochures…?" She shook her head a few times in wonder, then turned back to her car to retrieve her briefcase. Once she had that firmly in hand, she put on her most professional air and strode towards the doorway.   
  
It opened before she even knocked.   
  
"Miss Canmore, I presume?" The man on the other side of the door asked. He was an older man, somewhere in his fifties or so it appeared, with gray hair and beard, though rather well fit. He actually towered above her by about a foot or so. He was dressed in a dark suit with a plain blue tie.   
  
"Yes, I am Robyn Canmore," she answered him.   
  
He smiled at her. It was a type of genuine smile she hadn't seen for ages, and though she didn't show it she felt slightly comforted. He opened the door wider, allowing her to enter. "Then come on in!" he said with a chuckle. "Make yourself at home."   
  
She found the inside of the estate to be just as grand as the outside, which was no small feat. It was furnished splendidly with antiques of all sorts: from Ming vases to Italian sculptures to… was that a REAL suit of armor in the doorway? She let her eyes wander briefly as she followed the man into his study. Half the items in his home were worth a fortune by themselves. It was a good thing he had security camera's all over the place, though how anyone could have enough money to afford all these things plus the security it took to keep them safe was beyond her. He had to be pretty loaded.   
  
"Here we are," the man said, ushering her into a smaller room. He had a small table and two well-furbished chairs set up in one corner, and coffee (still hot it seemed) had been prepared for the both of them. "Please sit down." He motioned to one of the chairs and she took a seat, laying her briefcase across her lap. He sat down in the chair across from her and prepared to get down to business.   
  
"A friend of mine referred you to me," he said shortly. "Have you had a chance to speak with Mr. Xanatos?"   
  
Miss Canmore nodded. "It was he himself who told me to come and see you. He said you had a job for me as Mr. MacDuff's personal assistant."   
  
"I am Mr. MacDuff," the man replied with a smile, validating her earlier assumptions. "I don't suppose he told you what it is exactly that I do?"   
  
Here she shook her head. "No. He said you would tell me yourself. Is it very confidential?"   
  
MacDuff startled her now by laughing. "Ha ha! Not as much as it used to be, Madam, not as much as it used to be." He settled himself down, but still looked amused. "But we would like to keep things as quiet as possible, yes." He reached for his cup of coffee and took a small sip of it. He looked thoughtful for a moment, stroking his beard with one hand. "The truth is, I am to be in charge of some… rather unusual security measures. Xanatos has some strange… friends… that need special looking after."   
  
The woman's mouth suddenly went dry. She knew where this was going.   
  
"I believe you are familiar with gargoyles, Miss Canmore?" MacDuff said casually.   
  
He watched her response to this statement carefully. Xanatos had filled him in on Robyn Canmore's previous association with the gargoyles and it had not been a very friendly relationship. The Canmores had been the Hunters, a group of people who had spent centuries hunting down and destroying gargoyles - mostly the one they referred to as "the Demon." Demona. Robyn had two brothers. The three of them had, only a few months before, been responsible for the destruction of the clock tower above the police station while on their mission to kill Goliath's clan. At the end of their long struggle with the clan, the eldest brother, Jason, had wound up paralyzed from the waist down - shot by his own brother accidentally while protecting Goliath. He'd seen the error of his ways, but it had cost him. The youngest brother, Jon, had gone insane after the incident and eventually became the leader of the Quarrymen under the alias of John Castaway.   
  
Robyn, however, had witnessed how the gargoyles had saved the human race from destruction. According to Elisa Maza, she realized, as Jason did, that the feud had to be brought to an end. She, along with her brother, Jason, had been taken to Riker's Island after being found guilty of terrorism, among other charges. During her stay there she'd had plenty of time to think over things. Her family, the gargoyles, the Demon, everything swam through her head all those days in prison. She might have gone mad like her brother with guilt instead of vengeance had she not been visited on several occasions by a new friend of hers.   
  
She still couldn't believe Elisa Maza had wanted to visit and talk with her after all she had done to the Clan. The Police woman had been very forgiving. It seemed she understood the Canmore's hatred of Demona - the immortal gargoyle had been responsible for more than her share of trouble over the centuries. Elisa had spoken to her of her own adventures with the gargoyles, and they both learned of each others views and sympathized. Though Robyn didn't think she'd ever get over the fact that the cop and the gargoyle leader were an unofficial couple.   
  
It was through Elisa that Xanatos had heard about her. Apparently, he was very interested in her knowledge and skills. Her resume was quite impressive, she had to admit. Of the Hunter threesome she had been the brains of the outfit, and Xanatos was interested in putting her abilities to good use. Somehow he'd pulled a few strings here and there and was able to get her released on early parole. She still wondered how he'd done it, what with the charges she'd been faced with.   
  
Right now she was trying her best to hide her reaction to MacDuff's question, but it was obvious she was uneasy. She didn't hate Goliath's clan, but protecting them would be going against her brother. Despite his recent actions it was doubtful she would want to directly oppose him.   
  
"I'm asking you to assist me in protecting the gargoyles from harm - especially during the day when they are most vulnerable," he continued. "We are also to make sure word about them is kept as favorably as possible. There are those who would want it otherwise."   
  
Robyn was now sipping from her coffee as she listened to him. He could only guess what was going through her mind.   
  
After a moment, she looked up at him. "You are aware of my past history, are you not, Mr. MacDuff?"   
  
"Aye, that I am."   
  
"Then you understand why this would be a difficult decision for me?" she asked, setting her cup back on its saucer.   
  
MacDuff grew solemn. "I understand all too well. The choice was not an easy one for me either."   
  
Robyn raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing. The man looked up at her and gave her a small smile. "I, too, once wore the Hunter's mask, child."   
  
He heard her quiet intake of breath. "That has always been a Canmore's duty," she said lowly. "I was not aware anyone other than our clan hunted the Demon."   
  
Lennox MacDuff's smile widened, though it didn't seem to be filled with the same mirth it had been before. "Oh, it wasn't Canmore who started it. Actually he was the third, though I would understand how the vendetta would carry on from there." He sipped his coffee again. "I hunt Demona for my own reasons."   
  
Robyn still had many more questions to ask him along that topic, but things were slowly becoming clear to her. There were obvious reasons why she was the one they wanted for this position. She'd had previous contact with the gargoyles and felt she had done them wrong (apart from Demona). She also knew a good deal about their main opposition - her brother. Now she was aware of what she had in common with the man she was to work for.   
  
Xanatos was a smart man to consider this pairing.   
  
She took a deep breath. That knowledge didn't really make this decision easier. "If you would have me, Mr. MacDuff, I will accept the offer to work for you." She did her best to smile.   
  
The man returned the gesture. "Welcome aboard, Miss Canmore."   
  
+ + + + + + + + + +   
  
Titania, Queen of Avalon, stood before the trio known as the Weird Sisters. Her new companion floated next to her, curious to see why she had brought him to these despised witches. Three pairs of eyes stared up at him in a mixture of anger, fear, and surprise.   
  
"I see you recognize this spirit," Titania spoke to them quietly.   
  
"My Queen," the blonde haired one replied, "It was our hope to never lay eyes upon this man again."   
  
"Then you will be very disappointed," the Lady said with a stern look. "You will be seeing a great deal of this poor soul from this point on."   
  
"You would have us align with this petty magician?" the dark haired one asked in shock, gesturing towards the frowning ghost.   
  
Titania smiled at this. "He was obviously not so 'petty' that he couldn't ensnare the three of you," she teased.   
  
"Using magic stolen from this island, my Queen," the third sister - one of white hair - answered. All three of them looked angry. Extremely so. The wife of Oberon was certain that had she not been their mother they would have erupted on her or burned her to a cinder. As it was, she was the one in charge of things here.   
  
"Yet, you are to blame for his predicament, are you not?" Titania asked. Before she could get a reply, she continued. "Your actions are what resulted in his demise and now his soul is being denied rebirth because of his place of death."   
  
"But, my Queen…"   
  
"Therefore!" she cut off any further argument with an upraised palm. "It will be your duty to see to it that this man makes himself Proven."   
  
The three sisters stared at her in horror. "You can't be serious!" the blonde one nearly shouted.   
  
"Our Lord Oberon will never accept it," the black-haired one agreed.   
  
"Your Lord Oberon already agrees," a new voice said smugly from behind them. Turning, the sisters found themselves face to face with their father. He seemed to be in a rather good mood. A startling good mood. This didn't necessarily bode well for them. "The boy would make an interesting changeling."   
  
_A… what?_ the spirit asked, suddenly beginning to understand where this was going.   
  
The third sister sighed. "If… If it pleases your Lordship…" she murmured.   
  
"It does indeed," the King of the Fay remarked with a royal smirk. He then turned upon the ghost, who appeared quite startled with this turn of events. "So what do you say, spirit? We are giving you the opportunity to start anew as a servant to the Fair Folk." His expression turned serious. "Not many are given such an opportunity."   
  
The spectral figure bowed humbly before Oberon. His thoughts wavered in his anxiety. _I… I… I… T-thank you… most graciously… my Lord… _ he paused, trying to calm himself. _…but…_   
  
"But?" the King asked, startled.   
  
_…but …I am …not certain that …the I-immortal life is …one that…_ (That I'd like to have), he finished for himself. However, to them it ended with _…that I am …worthy of…_   
  
"Your worthiness is what you will be judged for," Oberon replied in what he believed was a reassuring tone. "If you are not exactly Fay material, then We will see to it that your death is finalized. Either way, you will removed from this forced limbo that you are in now." He turned to his wife. "You are very lucky to have received Our Queen's favor."   
  
_...Thank you, my lord._   
  
"There now, it's settled!" Oberon said merrily. He then clapped his hands once, and a brilliant glow surrounded the unprepared spirit. "You true form will be created from your soul! My Queen, a new Fay's creation is always such a marvel, is it not?"   
  
"Indeed, my husband."   
  
The bright light created from the ghost's transformation attracted the attention of every creature in the great hall of the palace. Many of them watched, transfixed, as a form began to take shape at the center of the glow. Oberon and Titania raised an eyebrow each as the figure became clearer.   
  
Things were not entirely as they had expected.   
  
Whereas they had expected to see a fully formed, human, version of the figure they'd seen as a spirit, they were instead greeted by a rather interesting sight. "Hmmm…" Oberon murmured in wonder.   
  
The Magus blinked his eyes several times. At first, he was a bit excited. He could actually feel the floor beneath his feet again, and when he waved his hand he could feel the slight breeze that ran along his skin. He stretched his arms above his head experimentally… and ended up staggering backwards. Something in his balance wasn't quite right. He straightened himself up, using his tail a bit in the effort.   
  
His tail?   
  
He gasped in shock, turning his head sharply to one side in order to get a better view of the wings he now had sprouting from each shoulder blade. His knees buckled, and he fell to the floor on his rear.   
  
"Oh my," he said softly, much to the amusement of several of Oberon's children.   
  
"How intriguing!" The Lord of Avalon said, coming to stand beside him. "You are the very first We have seen, human-born, that has chosen their true form to be that of the first race. Very interesting indeed."   
  
The Magus looked down at his gargoyle talons and blinked some more. (The fates have it in for me, don't they?) he thought wryly.   
  
+ + + + + + + + + +   
  
Dr. Anton Bartholomew Sevarius was a very optimistic man.   
  
Some would say it was because of the line of work he was in. When working with genetics like he did it helped to have a positive attitude towards things. If you were unhappy you were more likely to make mistakes. Such foul ups could be expensive, not to mention a waste of time and valuable 'guinea pigs' on occasion. Yes, being an optimist helped in this instance, but Sevarius preferred a different explanation.   
  
He had cloned an entire clan of gargoyles, accidentally double crossed Xanatos, turned four innocent human beings into mutates… and lived to brag about it. Now there was something to be proud of.   
  
"And that won't be the end of it, will it, my boy?" the good doctor asked a large, grotesque, gargoyle-like statue in one corner of his lab. "We'll make anyone pay who's ever crossed us, won't we."   
  
There was no response, of course. He didn't expect any.   
  
The large clone he had made from all the gargoyles together was now permanently stone, just like the other clones he had created. There had been a slight miscalculation in their programming it seemed. He had not anticipated such an error, and it bothered him.   
  
Not too much, however. He never did really like them all that much anyway, with the exception of 'Little Anton' here.   
  
"I'll find a way to fix you, son," he said sincerely. "Don't worry." It was all part of his next plan, anyway. His new plan would be his best ever - mostly because it was his own. No one was pulling his strings this time. Anton Sevarius didn't answer to anybody else but himself anymore.   
  
"Hey!" a sharp female voice interrupted his thoughts. "Where are you, Doc? Dr. S.? Helloooo! Anybody home?"   
  
Sevarius sighed, rolling his eyes skyward before answering. "I'm in my office, Hyena."   
  
The cybernetic woman nudged his door open with her shoulder. Her arms were laden down with a mound of papers. "I brought all the files you asked for," she said with a huff as she set them down on his desk. "Honestly though, Doc, I hope you have something more exciting planned in the near future. I didn't sign on to help you just to be your secretary."   
  
"Yes, yes, I know," the geneticist answered irritably. "We're all itching for a little action around here. Don't worry, I'm about ready to initialize the next phase of our little project."   
  
Hyena scoffed, crossing her arms. "'Our' little project? Hmph. Didn't know Jackal and I were included. Thought we were just the cannon fodder."   
  
True, that had been his original intent.   
  
He had come to realize though, that he and the pair of cyborgs shared many common grudges. It only made sense that they should team up against a common enemy - as long as they were working UNDER him, that is. It also helped that, for the moment anyway, he was getting their help free of charge. He told her as much, and she laughed - which made him instantly regret it. He hated her irritating laugh.   
  
"Heh," she chuckled. "Don't worry. Jackal and I realize we owe you for busting us out of the slammer. You get a month. After that, you're paying us full."   
  
"Yes, yes."   
  
Hyena stood there watching him sort through the papers a few moments longer before shrugging and heading towards the door. His voice stopped her before she reached it.   
  
"Does Jackal have the list?"   
  
"List?" the woman asked, confused for a second or two. "Oh! That list. I think so. I'll ask." That said, she poked her head out the doorway and called him as loud as she could down the hallway. "HEY!! BIG BROTHER!! THE DOC WANTS TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE THE LIST!!"   
  
Savarius muttered something under his breath about incompetent help just before he heard Jackal's reply of "WHAT LIST?!"   
  
"YOU KNOW!!" Hyena responded, still at the top of her voice. "THE LIST?!"   
  
"OH!" came the reply. "THAT LIST!"   
  
"WELL, DO YOU HAVE IT?!"   
  
"NO, I GAVE IT TO YOU!!"   
  
"Hm?" Hyena seemed to think this over. "Oh yeah!" she popped open a small compartment on her left wrist and pulled out a rolled up strip of paper. "Forgot I had it in there. THANKS BRO!!" After her final yell, she grinned and forked over the list. "Here it is."   
  
"If I knew you were going to scream down the hall I would have called him on the 'com and saved myself the headache," the doctor murmured as he accepted it.   
  
"Aw, can I help it you have no sense of humor?" the cybernetic woman asked innocently.   
  
Sevarius snorted. "Get back to work."   
  
Hyena smirked. Work. Right. She wasn't sorting papers for the rest of the day if she could help it. She'd grab Jackal and they'd go grab a meal somewhere. It wasn't as if Sevarius would even care. He'd probably be glad to have them out of his hair for a while.   
  
"Sure, boss," she said, giving him a smart salute. She then did an about-face and exited his office, much to his relief.   
  
"Undignified cybernetic lunatics…" Sevarius muttered to himself. If they hadn't been the best muscle he was going to be able to hire for a while he would have gladly left them to rot in prison. People like them were the reason he'd helped Demona create a virus he knew she'd want to use to destroy the human population with. Not many humans lived up to his standards, and he could always genetically alter himself to survive the plague - one of the benefits to being a scientific genius.   
  
He turned his attention to the list he now had clutched in his hand. It was really no longer than a receipt one might receive after a trip to the grocery store. He unrolled it carefully, scanning down the list of names in silence.   
  
Then he laughed.   
  
"Oh, yes, my boy," he cackled evilly. "Vengeance will be great indeed." Finally his plans would be coming to fruition. No longer would he be trod on and scoffed at. He would see genuine FEAR in his opponents eyes before his project was over, oh yes he would. The day would soon come when the name Anton Sevarius would send chills down people's spines at the very thought of it.   
  
Indeed, 'optimist' was an understatement.   
  
+ + + + + + + + + +   
  
Owen Burnett met the interesting duo almost the moment they entered the Eyrie Building. They were escorted unto the top floors without having to make any type of ID check along the way.   
  
There were benefits to being one of the higher-ups at Xanacorp, MacDuff admitted to himself as he and Robyn were admitted into Xanatos' private office. For an office it was rather large, and the entire back wall was glass, allowing him to keep some tabs on the gargoyles, he imagined. It also appeared to be a bit drab, with everything being in stark grays and blacks. It looked very twenty-first century, and he couldn't help but wonder on how the simpleness of it all made it that much more impressive. Anyone else probably would have found the set-up to be very intimidating. No doubt that was exactly the way Xanatos liked it. The man himself was sitting expectantly behind his desk, and he stood as they entered.   
  
"Ah, if it isn't my two newest employees," he came around his desk to greet them each with a strong handshake. "Welcome to your first day on the job. I trust you two have gotten to know each other?" They nodded. "Do you have any complaints about your new assistant, Mr. MacDuff?"   
  
Lennox shook his head. "None at all. She has proven herself to be a very reliable woman."   
  
The CEO of Xanatos Enterprises nodded his own head and smiled before turning to Robyn. "And you, Miss Canmore? Are you all right with this position? I realize I'm asking a great deal of you."   
  
"Whatever problems I may have had, my conscience has taken care of," she answered politely. "I am honored to have been asked to fill this role."   
  
Xanatos looked very pleased. "Good! I will have Owen show you to your offices in a moment." He then handed each of them a disk. Both were unlabled. "Both of those disks contain instructions as well as passwords for accessing some of the higher level security files. They also have the start-up information for a couple of important programs you're going to need."   
  
The duo nodded. They then spun around as they heard the door open behind them. A man entered - a red-head in a tan trench coat.   
  
"I believe you are both acquainted with Detective Maza," Xanatos continued. "This is her former partner, Matt Bluestone. He's our inside man at the precinct. Any information you need from there you can get from him."   
  
Matt shook each of their hands.   
  
Robyn nearly laughed out loud. "Our inside man is the leader of the Gargoyles Task Force?"   
  
"Yep," Bluestone grinned. "I was their friend first and foremost. It's great that I get to work with the two of you." He winked. "…Even if you do have horrible reputations."   
  
"Both of which are in the process of being cleared as we speak," Xanatos remarked with a wink. "As far as their backgrounds are concerned it's now all 'unknown' and 'confidential'. Just a few of the perks of this job."   
  
"Heh," Bluestone muttered. "Welcome to the MIB."   
  
"Your offices are just down the hall. Owen will point them out." His right-hand man nodded from his position in the doorway. "Mr. Bluestone and I have business to discuss."   
  
The blonde-haired man motioned for them to follow him. He led them a few meters away from Xanatos' office to where their own were located. They were side-by-side, and connected by a doorway between them.   
  
"Mr. Xanatos apologizes for his abruptness. He will see each of you again in two hours. Please get yourselves situated in your new workspace. If you'll excuse me." With that, he turned and strode off.   
  
MacDuff turned to Robyn. "After you," he said with a flourish, bowing and motioning her in. She smirked, and they both made their way to their desks.   
  
Robyn took the disk she'd been given out of her purse. Looking over at her computer, she found that it had already been turned on, and the words 'WELCOME, MISS CANMORE,' were running across the screensaver in bright yellow letters. She tapped the mouse, sending the message away, and entered her disk into the drive. It immediately began installing several new programs, as well as a few files for her to look over.   
  
After a few minutes of waiting, the computer beeped - announcing the completion of the installation. She hit 'okay,' and suddenly the background of her computer changed. A simple blue symbol stood out on a background of black. It was a circle with a line coming down and overlapping it's left side - almost like a strange 'd' or 'p' - and a sun-like shape to the right of that.   
  
A small text box suddenly popped up in the center of her screen.   
  
"Welcome to Project Daylight," it read.   
  
+ + + + + + + + + +   
  
Titania watched the Magus with wry amusement as he paced the floor behind her and her husband's thrones. It had taken him a little while to adjust his balance to this new form, but he seemed to fit it well now.   
  
The Sorcerer's "rebirth" had so far been kept secret from the island's clan, with special care taken to ensure that the princess didn't learn of it. This was more out of the Magus's request than her own, but she saw the reason for it. It might prove too much for the old woman to handle right now.   
  
Nevertheless, she could tell by her husband's expression that this constant pacing was getting on his nerves.   
  
"Magus," she called suddenly, causing the gargoyle to stop sharply and raise his head to face her. "Oberon and I have some matters to discuss with the Three. Why don't you take a walk around the island? Visit with some of my children."   
  
"But the clan-"   
  
"They will not see you," she interrupted him, anticipating his remark.   
  
He hesitated a moment in his reply. He had no doubt really that Titania would keep him shielded from anyone he did not wish to see him, but he wasn't certain if he felt up to walking around and seeing a family he would not be able to speak to.   
  
"Please," the Queen spoke softly. "For your sake as well as mine."   
  
The Magus sighed. Then he nodded and headed for the door.   
  
--   
  
He decided he would avoid the palace grounds altogether. That was how he eventually found himself wandering into a strange part of the forest that he didn't believe he'd ever seen in the forty or so years he'd been on the island. The plant life was unlike anything he remembered seeing. The air also seemed particularly moist and warm here. Was this the doing of the fey? Surely this hadn't been here before.   
  
"Jade? Is that you? I had not expected you back so soon," a strangely accented voice suddenly spoke up from among the foliage.   
  
The Magus looked around for its source. "No…" he responded as he searched, "I do not know of this… Ha-day… that you speak of."   
  
A blue-ish head poked around from behind a nearby tree, startling him. It was a female gargoyle, but not one of his clan. He didn't remember having ever seen her before. "Ah! A gargoyle amigo, but not Jade, yes? Funny, I don't believe I've seen you around. I will admit to not being here long, though, so it's not surprising." She came out fully, revealing an armful of what appeared to be extremely large flowers, roots still attached. "Have you come to see how the Little Green is doing? It's amazing how well the plants have taken to this soil."   
  
The Sorcerer blinked. Little Green? This was something he had no knowledge of. "Pardon my ignorance, but I'm afraid I was never told of who you and your companion were. Might I inquire as much?"   
  
She smiled. "Of course, amigo!" she said happily. "I am Turquesa. My mate Jade and I are from the Guatemalan gargoyle clan - that is in South America - that guard the rainforest pyramid. The forest is slowly being destroyed by the humans. It was the human Elisa's idea for us to bring some samples to this island where they would be able to grow and thrive. Would that we could have brought the whole forest…" she sighed, her smile vanishing. "I hope Zaphiro and Obsidiana fare well without us. They are the last two of own clan alive besides Jade and myself."   
  
As the newly-made gargoyle's mind spun with a long list of questions he wanted to ask the strange female, he tried his best not to startle her too much with his naiveté. "I have been on this island for so long," he muttered. "I'm afraid I have become lost in your words." He paused, watching as she began digging through the rich soil with her claws. "Tell me, though. Are all the clans so small nowadays?"   
  
Turquesa stopped for a moment, and her expression became pained. "Our clan was not always so. We were once large, but many years ago the rest of our kind were destroyed by poachers. Only four of us remain - those that were to guard the clan to begin with. A lot of good the pendants do if we are not there to make use of their power."   
  
"Pendants?"   
  
The turquoise gargoyle looked startled. She hadn't thought much about that slip up. After the last incident with the strange cybernetic duo they had tried not to mention the jewels that much. She hoped this gargoyle was trustworthy enough and that no one else was listening in.   
  
"Yes," she muttered. "These." She lifted the turquoise jewel around her neck into the light. "They keep whoever wears them from turning to stone during the day. They were created so that our clan would always have guardians to protect it." She sighed, letting the pendant drop back down against her chest. "But in our haste to protect the forest from those that would destroy it, we left our own people vulnerable to attack."   
  
The Magus watched her, his own mood saddened a great deal. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."   
  
She shook her head. "No, it is good that we don't forget our failures so we do not have to worry about repeating them."   
  
They were silent a moment. As Turquesa began planting the large flowers in the ground, the sorcerer thought upon the truthfulness of her words. He'd felt their sting long ago.   
  
"As for other clans," the Guatemalan gargoyle continued after a moment. "I know only what I have heard from Goliath and his traveling companions, or the fey on the island. Most clans are small, yes. I have heard of those in London and in Japan. I have heard mention of some in Egypt, as well, but I don't know if that's been proven."   
  
"So few," the white gargoyle murmured, head bowed.   
  
"Better than none," Turquesa answered. "Gargoyles haven't been a prominent race on this planet since the time if the Titans - or so I hear from those on this island. I wasn't even aware before then that we were EVER a prominent race. The fact that we still exist at all, given the nature of humans to fear and destroy us, is cause for some measure of hope."   
  
The Magus stood suddenly, causing the turquoise gargoyle to scoot back an inch in surprise. The expression on the sorcerer's face was one of astounded realization.   
  
"What is it?" the gargoyle from Guatemala asked.   
  
"I…" he stuttered, "Thank you. You've been most helpful. I need to go. Maybe I'll see you again sometime." He then stood and began walking quickly away from her.   
  
"Wait!" she cried after him. "Where are you going?"   
  
"To do something important with my life for once!!" was his over-the-shoulder reply.   
  
Turquesa could merely wave her farewells as the newly-made gargoyle dashed off towards Oberon's Palace.   
  
+ + + + + + + + + +   
  
"You want to do what?" Oberon asked, eyebrow raised.   
  
"I want to leave the island," the Magus replied, apparently not caring who he was talking to. "I need to help save a dying race from extinction. Surely there's something I can do to help them."   
  
"And what makes you think We're just going to allow you free passage off the island?" the Fairy King responded calmly. "You forget, human-born, that by Our decree no fey is to leave this island unless We so command it. What if We have no desire for you to leave?"   
  
"But he is not yet a fey, my husband."   
  
Both heads raised simultaneously as Queen Titania made her entrance. She was accompanied by the Three Sisters, whose expressions turned readably sour as they noticed who their Queen referred to. Titania smiled.   
  
"He is not yet a fey. He has yet to be proven. Would you not agree, husband, that the boy's proffered mission would a suitable test of his merit?"   
  
Oberon seemed to think over this a moment. A low 'hmmmmmn' escaped his throat as his masculine need to hold superiority wrestled with Titania's feminine ability to get exactly what she wanted out of him. As was usually the case, he decided to 'humor' her.   
  
"That is a good point. You are lucky, boy, that the Queen seems to show such favor in you." He rose, crossing his arms before his chest regally. "The Sisters will accompany you, to make sure of your progress."   
  
END CHAPTER 1.   
  
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =   
  
MACBETH: "Madam, they burned witches like you in the Middle Ages!"  
MARGOT: "Mister, you're living in a fantasy world!"  
  
  



	2. Propositions

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Gargoyles characters. They are the property of Disney and Buena Vista and other people more important than me. I'm just borrowing them for a while.   
  
PREVIOUSLY ON GARGOYLES…   
  
Robyn still had many more questions to ask him along that topic, but things were slowly becoming clear to her. There were obvious reasons why she was the one they wanted for this position. She'd had previous contact with the gargoyles and felt she had done them wrong (apart from Demona). She also knew a good deal about their main opposition - her brother. Now she was aware of what she had in common with the man she was to work for.   
  
Xanatos was a smart man to consider this pairing.   
  
She took a deep breath. That knowledge didn't really make this decision easier. "If you would have me, Mr. MacDuff, I will accept the offer to work for you." She did her best to smile.   
  
The man returned the gesture. "Welcome aboard, Miss Canmore."   
  
-----   
  
"You would have us align with this petty magician?" the dark haired one asked in shock, gesturing towards the frowning ghost.   
  
Titania smiled at this. "He was obviously not so 'petty' that he couldn't ensnare the three of you," she teased.   
  
"Using magic stolen from this island, my Queen," the third sister - one of white hair - answered. All three of them looked angry. Extremely so. The wife of Oberon was certain that had she not been their mother they would have erupted on her or burned her to a cinder. As it was, she was the one in charge of things here.   
  
"Yet, you are to blame for his predicament, are you not?" Titania asked. Before she could get a reply, she continued. "Your actions are what resulted in his demise and now his soul is being denied rebirth because of his place of death."   
  
"But, my Queen…"   
  
"Therefore!" she cut off any further argument with an upraised palm. "It will be your duty to see to it that this man makes himself Proven."   
  
The three sisters stared at her in horror. "You can't be serious!" the blonde one nearly shouted.   
  
"Our Lord Oberon will never accept it," the black-haired one agreed.   
  
"Your Lord Oberon already agrees," a new voice said smugly from behind them.   
  
-----   
  
The Magus stood suddenly, causing the turquoise gargoyle to scoot back an inch in surprise. The expression on the sorcerer's face was one of astounded realization.   
  
"What is it?" the gargoyle from Guatemala asked.   
  
"I…" he stuttered, "Thank you. You've been most helpful. I need to go. Maybe I'll see you again sometime." He then stood and began walking quickly away from her.   
  
"Wait!" she cried after him. "Where are you going?"   
  
"To do something important with my life for once!!" was his over-the-shoulder reply.   
  


--STRANGE ALLIANCES--

  
  
CHAPTER TWO: PROPOSITIONS   
  
Elisa opened the door to Xanatos' office, watching Owen out of the corner of her eye as he led her in. The head of Xanatos Enterprises sat in his usual place behind his desk, but he stood as she entered, smiling warmly.   
  
"Ah, Detective," he began. "What a pleasant surprise."   
  
"I need to talk with you, Xanatos," she said sternly.   
  
Xanatos nodded, still smiling. "I would have thought that was obvious. Normally people don't visit my office to stand silent and stare at me like a zoo animal."   
  
Elisa smirked. "Ha ha. Very funny. This is important."   
  
The dark haired man stood up from his desk and walked around from behind it. He took a new posture leaning up against the front of it with his arms crossed. "I presume you have questions regarding my latest little project. I can assure you detective, I'm doing it purely for the gargoyle's benefit."   
  
"Getting aid from MacBeth?" she asked. "Are you sure he can be trusted?"   
  
"He gave me his word of honor that he wouldn't betray the project," he replied. "Surely you know how much his honor means to him."   
  
Xanatos had been expecting this visit from the gargoyles' most trusted companion for some time now. It wasn't as though he could hide a decision this big from them for very long, especially with his choice candidates for the project's head and co-head. If there was any way for him to get into exceptionally good graces with the detective, this was it. If, that is, he could manage to pull it off.   
  
He was David Xanatos. Of course he could pull it off.   
  
Elisa crossed her arms in front of her chest. While she had begrudgingly come to admit that Xanatos most likely had nothing more against her companions, she would probably never trust the man entirely - especially after that whole issue with her brother. "So what exactly IS this project, Xanatos?" she asked.   
  
For this, the bearded man was prepared. He nodded to Owen, who offered the detective a large envelope. The folder was thick, and the words 'Project Daylight' were inscribed with bold lettering across the front.   
  
"Project Daylight?" Elisa asked.   
  
Xanatos nodded. "Precisely, Detective," he answered calmly. In one hand he produced the controller to the large monitor that always took up one wall of his office. As soon as he pressed the button the screen lit up, displaying a large symbol on a black background. It was a strange symbol - a circle all in blue with a line going through the left side and a sun attached to the right of the line.  
  
After a few moments, the image faded slightly. It remained in the background as a title appeared in yellow lettering . "Project Daylight," it read. "An organization for promoting the acceptance of Gargoyles to the modern world."   
  
"You see," Xanatos said, "this is it. With this operation we can keep them protected and spread the good word about them. We can help to keep groups like the Quarrymen off their backs." He clicked another button on the controller and the screen changed. It now showed a map of the world. On it, various red dots began to appear. "These are where sightings of gargoyles have appeared over the last few years. I've added the locations you and Goliath found on your journey aboard the skiff." Some of the red dots turned a shade of purple. "These are where sightings have been confirmed to be actual gargoyle living areas." The monitor shut off. "There are whole clans of them out there, Detective. This project will help to ensure their safety."   
  
Elisa's expression had changed over the last few moments. She now regarded him with a look of astounded curiosity as he continued.   
  
He held up a small flier. "I've already made contact with leaders of small committees such as this one. I know you're already familiar with the P.I.T. Crew. I've been able to get a hold of leaders in four other small groups such as these around the globe - including a few residents of a town in Japan called Ishimura. I believe you've met them before as well." She nodded. "I intend to help fund their organizations. They might be small now, but given time they can become the arms and legs of this project."   
  
The police woman raised an eyebrow. "You're really serious about this," she stated quietly.   
  
Xanatos regarded her with a strangely calm expression. "Up until this point," he said lowly, "I don't think I've ever been more serious about anything. I owe them so much, Detective. I owe YOU as much."   
  
There was silence in the room for a few moments before a knocking on the door interrupted it. Xanatos looked at his watch.   
  
"That would be the Project head, sir," Owen reminded him before he could say anything.   
  
"And their timing couldn't be better," he said with a smile. "Come in!" he called out loud enough that his new guests could hear.   
  
The door opened slowly and MacBeth entered, followed by Robyn Canmore. Elisa's expression became one of confusion. "Robyn?" she asked.   
  
The assistant head of Project Daylight hadn't even noticed the detective's presence before she had spoken out. Looking over now, her eyes widened. "Oh! Elisa! I'd been told I might see you around here occasionally. How are you?"   
  
"I'd like you to meet the assistant head of Project Daylight," Xanatos said in answer to Elisa's unspoken question, "Miss Robyn Canmore."   
  
"Quite a crew..." the police woman muttered.   
  
MacBeth, not being able to help but overhear that comment, cleared his throat. "Now, Detective," he remarked casually, "there's no better creature to catch a fox but the fox himself."   
  
Elisa shook her head. "Robyn I can understand. Demona's caused a lot of problems for people in the past, and given the same circumstances regarding my background I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing she did - not that what she did was good." She frowned. "You, MacBeth, I have no reason to trust just yet."   
  
MacBeth sighed. "I understand," he said quietly, "and I forgive you for not being overly trusting of me, but I swear that I no longer hold anything against you or your clan. I hope to prove that to you."   
  
"I hope you manage to do so," Elisa replied. "I'd much rather have you for a friend than an enemy."   
  
MacBeth smiled.   
  
Xanatos ended the short silence that followed by clearing his throat. "Well, at least you're all acquainted." When all three of them gave him dubious looks he moved on. "Keep the folder, Detective. I'll keep you posted. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to discuss business matters with Mr. MacDuff and his associate."   
  
Elisa stuck the file under one arm. Nodding her goodbyes to Robyn, she turned to leave.   
  
"Oh! And Detective?" came Xanatos' voice before she could go.   
  
She turned back to look at him just in time to catch the object he threw her way. Unfolding it, she found it to be a simple black shirt with the Project Daylight logo on the front. She raised an eyebrow.   
  
"Welcome to the team," the industrialist smiled.   
  
+ + + + + + + + + +   
  
Sevarius peeked out from under the rim of his hat at the apartment complex before him. As far as apartments went these weren't all that bad off. They were nowhere near his personal preferences as far as luxury was concerned, but at least he wouldn't have to scrape the filth from his shoes after this venture.   
  
He kept a close eye on his two assistants. Both Jackal and Hyena stood slightly behind him, wearing heavy trenchcoats to hide their cybernetic limbs. At one point Jackal caught his eye and gave him a thumbs up. His response to that was to scowl. Fortunately by then his head was turned the other way.   
  
"This is the place," he muttered. "The first of our quarry lies within these walls."   
  
"How about we just blow the whole building up?" Hyena offered. "It'd save us some trouble in the long run."   
  
Sevarius turned around sharply and glared at the cybernetic woman. She was laughing that horrid laugh of hers. "Listen here," he growled. "This man is not to be killed. He is to be CONTAINED. Do I make myself clear?"   
  
Jackal yawned. "Yes, yes, we know. Your word is law and all that."   
  
"I still say you're incredibly boring," Hyena added. "At least when we worked for Xanatos the missions involved some action."   
  
The scientist snorted. "Oh, there will be action eventually. I promise you." That said, he continued the walk towards the apartment.   
  
The residence in question was located on the building's first floor. Hyena muttered under her breath in annoyance as they prepared to ring the bell.   
  
"Don't know what you'd want with a gimp anyway."   
  
--   
  
The small murmur of noise coming from the television shut off abruptly as the apartment's only inhabitant clicked the button on his remote. He'd only been watching with disinterest to begin with. It was the same news as always: robberies, shootings, strikes, and the occasional gargoyle sightings/theories/hate riots. He'd had enough of that in his life as it was without having to watch people talk about it with such false enthusiasm.   
  
One hand tossing the remote onto the empty sofa, he did a ninety degree turn in his wheelchair with the other hand and directed himself into the kitchen. The soup he'd put on the stove a while back should be hot enough now.   
  
He was in the process of turning the stove off when his doorbell rang.   
  
The man set down the bowl he'd been about to fill in surprise. He wasn't sure he could think of anyone that would want to visit him at that time of day. His sister was the only one he could think of that would even know he was out of prison. (The press had not been notified of his release. Xanatos had arranged it in gratitude of his sacrifice for Goliath's life, and his refusal to leak much information about the clan to the police and press.) She had called earlier and told him that she was going to be unavailable for pretty much the next week. Had she stopped by anyway, just to see him?   
  
"Just a minute!" he called, once again redirecting his chair. Reaching the door, he opened it to find, not his sister, but three figures in trenchcoats. He recognized none of them. "Yes?" he asked skeptically. "What can I do for you?"   
  
The man closest peered out from under his hat with a sort of half smirk. "You are Jason Canmore?" he asked.   
  
Looking wary, the man in the wheelchair nodded his head.  
  
"Then the question is," the other grinned, "what can WE do for YOU?"   
  
"If you're here soliciting," Jason frowned, "then what you can do is leave. I'm not interested." He made as if to close the door on them, but the taller of the two figures behind the leader quickly threw up an arm to keep it open.   
  
"Now, now," he said calmly. "I'm quite sure you'll want to listen to what I have to say. It will be very beneficial to you."   
  
Jason scowled. "And I'm quite sure that it will be more beneficial for me AND you if you leave. I have no need of anything you might be wanting to sell to me." He was starting to become irritated over the fact that he couldn't close the door. The person holding the door open had to be some sort of bodyguard or at least a weightlifter with strength like that.   
  
"But I'm offering you a one in a lifetime opportunity!" the annoying man continued. "After all, it's not everyday you get the chance to walk again."   
  
Jason ceased in his efforts to remove the other figure's hand from the door and stared at the man in surprise. Obviously, this hadn't been the type of offer he expected. His visitor seemed satisfied with his confusion, watching the range of emotions that flickered across his face.   
  
He seemed very surprised indeed with his answer.   
  
"I'm sorry," Jason said slowly, "but you must have me mistaken for someone else. I have no interest in your cure. I've chosen this life as atonement for past deeds."   
  
"But certainly..."   
  
"I. Am. Not. Interested. Good bye." That said, he lashed out with an umbrella that leaned on the wall near the entrance and caught the figure supporting the door across the face. There was a cry of pain and the person pulled back, leaving Jason free to shut and lock it.   
  
He had to wheel away almost immediately as the door was thrown off its hinges.   
  
Sevarius stepped forward with a malicious smile. "I'm afraid," he hissed, "that you're not being given the option of refusal."   
  
Jackal and Hyena laughed gleefully, throwing their trenchcoats aside and revealing their cybernetic bodies. As Jason backed away further out of shock he remarked sarcastically to himself that at least he knew how they'd held the door open.   
  
"My associates and I," the scientist stated seriously, "have been looking forward to being introduced to you." This elicited chuckles from his two companions. "My name is Doctor Anton Sevarius. I worked with your sister a year or so ago. Quite a brilliant young woman, that one. It's such a shame she ended up yellow just like the rest of them." He smiled evilly again. "I have special plans in mind for her. Oh, yes."   
  
"You leave my sister out of any plans of yours!" Jason cried.   
  
The mad doctor shook his head. "No need to worry, dear boy. Today's not HER lucky day. It's YOURS. Why... You should be absolutely THRILLED that Anton Bartholomew Sevarius has chosen YOU to be his new guinea pig." Jackal and Hyena began advancing towards him. "Besides, what would you do? Roll over me in your wheelchair?"   
  
The oldest of the Canmore siblings reversed backwards quickly. He knew immediately there was no way he was going to be able to outdistance his two half-robotic followers. Steering as sharply as he could, he maneuvered himself back into the kitchen, hoping to reach the hand gun he had stored in the drawer closest to the entranceway.   
  
He reached it just as a laser shot from Jackal's wrist sent him flying out of his wheelchair, which crumpled into a smoldering heap. Pulling out the entire drawer in haste, he grabbed up his gun and released the safety. He aimed quickly at Jackal's unprotected eye, and it was only Hyena's fortunate, or unfortunate for Jason, timing that saved her brother's life. Her own laser cannon knocked his gun out of his grasp, and left Jason clutching at his seared hand.   
  
Jackal lifted him up by the front of his shirt. "You don't want to go trying anything stupid now," he growled, "or Sis and I might just decide to disobey the good doctor's orders and just kill you right now."   
  
This apparently didn't seem much of a threat to Jason at all, as he used his uninjured hand to grab his uneaten soup off the stove and toss it in his assailant's face.   
  
Blinded in his remaining non-cybernetic eye, Jackal fell back and covered his face with both hands, releasing his hold on Jason. The half-paralyzed man started dragging himself painfully across the floor, trying to make his way over to where his gun had fallen.   
  
It was not to be, however. The odds were too much against him with such opponents and very little maneuverability. Hyena knocked him out instantly with sleeping gas from the fingers of her left hand.   
  
Jackal glared up at her, strands of chicken noodle stuck sporadically in his now wet and matted hair. "You couldn't have done that sooner?"   
  
His sister shrugged. "Where would the fun be in that? Besides," she smirked, "you were doing well for a while there. Would've expected, though, with him being paralyzed from the waist down and all, that you could have thought up something quicker."   
  
The cybernetic man muttered something along the lines of 'shaddup' as he began pulling limp noodles from his long black mane. Hyena went about lifting their unconscious captive into her arms.   
  
Sevarius stepped into the kitchen, eyeing the mess with distaste. "If you're quite through," he said snobbishly, "We'd better leave before the neighbors call the police because of the terrible racket you caused."   
  
+ + + + + + + + + +   
  
"MacBeth," Robin said quietly.   
  
Owen raised an eyebrow. They'd been driving for about ten minutes through traffic on their way to one of Xanatos Enterprises old warehouses, which apparently held more than just unsold merchandise. Up until this point the Canmore woman hadn't even tried to strike up a conversation. "What about him?" he asked.   
  
Robin frowned. "Elisa kept calling him 'MacBeth' - Mr. MacDuff, that is - and no one seemed to question it. Neither he nor Xanatos even looked confused."   
  
"Professor MacDuff was often called by that," Owen replied, unfazed. "He has... a deep rooted interest in Shakespeare. Lennox and MacDuff were both characters in the play MacBeth, if you recall, and the name must have stuck to him since childhood."   
  
"But, doesn't it bother him?" she asked, looking rather appalled. "I mean, MacBeth was a murderer!"   
  
"I'm sure, Miss Canmore, that he thinks of it as nothing more than a name."   
  
The blonde haired woman shook her head, and became interested in the sidewalk as it passed by her window. "It's just a bit disconcerting," she said slowly, "what with my family's history and all."   
  
The beginnings of a smirk appeared on Owen's lips. "Professor MacDuff is nothing at all like the MacBeth of legend." Humor, or at least as close as he ever got to it, had begun to tinge the edges of his voice. "Of that you can be quite certain."   
  
+ + + + + + + + + +   
  
The Magus and his three unwilling companions appeared in a flash above what appeared to be a sea of multicolored lights and sound. The newly-made gargoyle gazed around himself in astonishment.   
  
Then he realized he was several hundred feet above the ground.   
  
Crying out in horror, he began clawing at the air. He flapped his wings frantically, trying to figure out the best way to use them, as he never had before.   
  
It was a moment before he realized that he wasn't going anywhere. He stopped flailing his arms and looked around warily. He was suspended in midair, and the Weird Sisters were watching him with hardy smirks on their faces.   
  
"Perhaps we should have dropped you," the blonde one remarked. "It would have given you a trial-by-fire lesson in gliding."   
  
The dark-haired one crossed her arms. "Of course, if you couldn't manage it you would have failed your mission from the start."   
  
"And as much as we would enjoy that," the white-haired one added, "Oberon would be most displeased with us."   
  
The Magus scowled. "Thank you ever so kindly for your concern," he muttered. He spread his wings out behind him, trying to get a good grip on the wind and which way it was moving. "If you're not going to be helpful, you might as well just go. I need to go about finding Goliath."   
  
The sisters looked at each other and grinned. The dark haired one shrugged. "If you say so," she said happily.   
  
And all three of them vanished.   
  
"HEY!!" the sorcerer let out a shout of terror as the earth's gravity actually did take hold of him and he went plummeting downwards. His wings caught a draft quickly, and he managed to right himself a bit clumsily after shouting out a few choice profane phrases that had died out centuries ago.   
  
(I had to open my big mouth) he thought irritably. He now, unfortunately, had absolutely no idea where he was or how he was supposed to find anyone familiar. (If this is their idea of a joke, I don't find it the least bit funny.)   
  
He managed a wavering glide. It took him some time to figure out to a degree how his wings reacted to the wind currents. Several times he almost lost control and fell, only to catch an updraft at the last moment to send him back up to the height he'd been before.   
  
He expected at any time for the Sisters to reappear. Most likely they would laugh at him and scorn him for not paying better attention to his commands. He could tell this working relationship was going to be a rough one.   
  
However, half an hour past... then another. The Magus believed he'd been flying around in circles for most of that time, even though all the flashing lights and towers looked the same to him from his point of view. If they didn't reappear soon he'd have to find a place to land and somehow find someone to ask about the local gargoyle clan.   
  
Then he saw it - a flash of red and blue flying below him.   
  
A quick glance after it revealed that it was indeed a gargoyle, and a familiar one at that. He knew her. Long before he'd lived on Avalon he had known her. She'd haunted his dreams for years, and the last time he had seen her they had not been on good terms. Not that they ever really had been...   
  
"Demona..." he muttered under his breath.   
  
His mind raced. The last he had seen her, she had been under a spell by the Weird Sisters and had fought against him as his enemy. If the spell had been broken was she once more at Goliath's side? Had the spell even been broken at all?   
  
He figured his choices were limited enough at the moment. Right now she was the only lead he had. Adjusting his wings without really even realizing it, he dived after her, keeping what he hoped was a far enough distance that she wouldn't notice.   
  
As he watched, she shot down sharply, landing on the balcony of a rather large house some distance from the main part of the city. He blinked a bit in confusion, thinking it odd that she had not headed to a nearby castle. Then again, with all the strange architecture he had seen he was unsure if there were any castles in this time at all.   
  
He waited until she was out of sight before he too landed lightly on the balcony, trying not to draw too much attention to himself. Almost without thinking, his wings caped about his shoulders. He glanced down at them in surprise for a moment before shrugging it off and heading towards the large window Demona had slid open and shut behind her.   
  
He peered cautiously around the very edge of the window frame, watching the female gargoyle as she busied herself with something in her room. Moments passed as he stood there silently, unable to think of how he should approach her. What would she think when she saw him? Would she recognize him? (Well,) he thought, (I'll never know if I just stand here.)   
  
It was with something akin to timidness that the Magus tapped the window gently with one clawed finger.   
  
--   
  
Demona spun around instantly, eyes wide, as she heard the tapping on the glass behind her.   
  
Silently she wondered who could have managed the height to her window ledge. She doubted it was one of the clan. She hadn't had any contact with them since that last stunt she'd pulled and she doubted any of them would want to have anything to do with her for some time. And there was no chance it could be a human unless they had help getting up there and she'd heard no sound of engines. She briefly thought of the mutates, but ruled that idea out almost immediately.   
  
She picked up her laser rifle from where it laid atop a chest at the foot of her bed. Listening to the gentle hum as it powered up, she took a few cautious steps towards the window.   
  
Just then, half of her view outside became obscured by a dark shadow. White glowing embers of eyes stared back at her between ears that were distinctly pointed at the ends. She could make out the shape of the shadow enough to see that it had a tail. A gargoyle then. But was it from the clan or…   
  
The figure raised one hand, and tapped softly on the glass again.   
  
She took a few steps closer, making sure her weapon was ready to be fired if she needed to. The gargoyle seemed to see the weapon in her hands for the first time, and it backed up a couple steps, eyes widening.   
  
(If it's an unknown gargoyle that's not out to kill you,) she thought sourly to herself, (then you might want to think before scaring it off.)   
  
She lowered her weapon a bit and made her decision. Closing the gap between herself and her visitor, she calmly unlocked the large, patio-like window and slid it open. The figure hesitated a moment, then stepped inside.   
  
"Who are you?" she asked sternly. "Why were you outside my window?"   
  
The new gargoyle stepped into the light of the lamp on her desk and she finally got a decent look at him. His coloring was almost all white - save for his clothing which was in dark grays and blues. He had long hair a good foot or more past his shoulders and bright, alert, blue eyes.   
  
"I- I'm sorry... if I alarmed you," her visitor finally replied. "I… followed you here."   
  
Demona frowned at this. "I'll have to make sure and be more careful in the future," she murmured. She scrutinized the gargoyle thoroughly. "Why is it that you followed me, may I ask? I don't believe I've ever seen you before."   
  
The Magus looked nervous. He was beginning to have doubts about his premonitions. The red-headed gargoyle looked almost as dangerous now as she had back on Avalon. If he told her who he really was she might shoot him on the spot. The fact that she had not recognized him was one he was quickly becoming thankful of.   
  
"You are the one they call 'Demona', are you not?" he asked quietly.   
  
Her eyes narrowed. "I am."   
  
It was risky, but… "Then is this Manhattan? Is Goliath's clan here?"   
  
There was a pause.   
  
"It is," Demona replied.   
  
The Magus took a deep breath. "Then you are his Second?"   
  
He suddenly found the nose of the laser rifle at his throat. He blinked, wondering how she had gotten it there so fast. She hissed at him from between bared teeth.   
  
"Where. Are. You. From?" she asked dangerously.   
  
"A-Avalon…" the frightened gargoyle replied, truthfully enough.   
  
Demona's whole demeanor changed instantly. At first she seemed surprised, and she lowered the rifle from its position at his neck. "Avalon…?" she whispered. "You are one of the clan's children? Like Angela?"   
  
The white gargoyle raised an eyebrow. "You know of Angela?"   
  
"Yes, she… visits me occasionally," she grabbed his arm, leading him over to the sofa. "But come, you must think rather terribly of me. I apologize. I've become rather… paranoid… as of late." She sat him down and he watched her with nervous eyes. "I don't think I quite caught your name," she added to his great disappointment.   
  
He thought quickly. He couldn't tell her he was the Magus, but that was the only name he had used since Prince Malcolm had given him his position. He knew if he mentioned the name he'd had as a boy she'd probably recognize that too. She'd been near the Archmage enough. Names ran through his head at an alarming rate. What could he possibly...   
  
"A-Alfred," he said suddenly. "My name is Alfred."   
  
Demona wrinkled her nose a bit. She obviously didn't think much of his name, but wasn't willing to say so out loud.   
  
"Well then,... Alfred, ...can I get you anything? Tea, maybe? Something harder? Anything you want to eat?" She went about setting up a table for him, clearing things out of the way quickly with a smile on her face he wasn't sure was genuine. "I'd be excited to here all about Avalon. I've only been given one perspective so far."   
  
Something in her voice reminded him of a story Princess Katherine once told. It had been about an old woman that lead children into her household and pretended to be a generous host when all she planned to do was eat them later. While he doubted Demona was actually into cannibalism, the look on her face did nothing to calm his nerves.   
  
"Uh... t-tea would be fine... I suppose..." he answered nervously.   
  
Demona smiled at him in a way that made his stomach turn over, then caped her wings about her shoulders and made her way to her kitchen, motioning for him to stay where he was. He watched her go with a great amount of trepidation, wondering not for the first time if he'd made the right decision.   
  
END CHAPTER 2.   
  
  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =   
  
GOLIATH: "...Surely you know I am not in the habit of playing childish pranks... or laughing maniacally in the dark."   
HUDSON: "Do you even know HOW to laugh maniacally?" 


	3. Submission

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Still wish they were…   
  
PREVIOUSLY ON GARGOYLES…   
  
He held up a small flier. "I've already made contact with leaders of small committees such as this one. I know you're already familiar with the P.I.T. Crew. I've been able to get a hold of leaders in four other small groups such as these around the globe - including a few residents of a town in Japan called Ishimura. I believe you've met them before as well." She nodded. "I intend to help fund their organizations. They might be small now, but given time they can become the arms and legs of this project."   
  
The police woman raised an eyebrow. "You're really serious about this," she stated quietly.   
  
Xanatos regarded her with a strangely calm expression. "Up until this point," he said lowly, "I don't think I've ever been more serious about anything. I owe them so much, Detective. I owe YOU as much."   
  
-----   
  
"Just a minute!" he called, once again redirecting his chair. Reaching the door, he opened it to find, not his sister, but three figures in trenchcoats. He recognized none of them. "Yes?" he asked skeptically. "What can I do for you?"   
  
The man closest peered out from under his hat with a sort of half smirk. "You are Jason Canmore?" he asked.   
  
Looking wary, the man in the wheelchair nodded his head.   
  
"Then the question is," the other grinned, "what can WE do for YOU?"   
  
--   
  
"I. Am. Not. Interested. Good bye." That said, he lashed out with an umbrella that leaned on the wall near the entrance and caught the figure supporting the door across the face. There was a cry of pain and the person pulled back, leaving Jason free to shut and lock it.   
  
He had to wheel away almost immediately as the door was thrown off its hinges.   
  
Sevarius stepped forward with a malicious smile. "I'm afraid," he hissed, "that you're not being given the option of refusal."   
  
-----   
  
"Where. Are. You. From?" she asked dangerously.   
  
"A-Avalon…" the frightened gargoyle replied, truthfully enough.   
  
Demona's whole demeanor changed instantly. At first she seemed surprised, and she lowered the rifle from its position at his neck. "Avalon…?" she whispered. "You are one of the clan's children? Like Angela?"   
  
The white gargoyle raised an eyebrow. "You know of Angela?"   
  
"Yes, she… visits me occasionally," she grabbed his arm, leading him over to the sofa. "But come, you must think rather terribly of me. I apologize. I've become rather… paranoid… as of late." She sat him down and he watched her with nervous eyes. "I don't think I quite caught your name," she added to his great disappointment.   
  
He thought quickly. He couldn't tell her he was the Magus, but that was the only name he had used since Prince Malcolm had given him his position. He knew if he mentioned the name he'd had as a boy she'd probably recognize that too. She'd been near the Archmage enough. Names ran through his head at an alarming rate. What could he possibly...   
  
"A-Alfred," he said suddenly. "My name is Alfred."   
  


-PROPOSITIONS-

  
  
CHAPTER 3: SUBMISSION   
  
They pulled to a stop in front of an old abandoned warehouse. It obviously hadn't seen use in ages, and was not even marked as property of Xanatos Enterprises. Robyn felt mildly disappointed. As far as secret operations bases went, this was terribly cliché.   
  
She mentioned as much to Owen, who merely chuckled lightly. "Really, Miss Canmore. A secret base of operations? We're not a Russian spy unit."   
  
"That's not what we're here for?" she asked, feeling a bit let down but relieved at the same time. "That was the idea I'd received from your message earlier."   
  
Owen's smirk widened. "When I said I'd be taking you out to a place where we store everything you'd need for your new career? What about that registered as 'Super Secret Hidden Spy Base?'"   
  
Robyn stepped out of the car, ignoring his humored expression. "Har har." She was soon joined by Xanatos' still smiling right-hand man, who led both of them into the partially demolished building.   
  
"Actually," the man continued, "This particular building is a rather recent acquisition of Mr. Xanatos'. Its previous owner had left it abandoned for a couple years and didn't seem to have any need for it. I believe Mr. Xanatos was rather fond of its view of the harbor."   
  
Robyn took a quick glance back at the seedy district behind her and found the beauty in it to be somewhat lacking.   
  
After a few flips of the light switch it soon became apparent that the lights were no longer functioning. With a slight frown, Owen pulled a flashlight out of his pocket and continued to lead her further back. Apparently, the idea that they'd be traveling in darkness had crossed his mind before he came here.   
  
"I'll make sure to get those fixed," he muttered, even though Robyn had made no complaint.   
  
From what she could see of the place by the surprisingly strong glow of Owen's flashlight, she figured it had to have at one point been the scene of some sort of gun fight. It hadn't been fought with any normal handguns either. The scorch marks running up and across several of the support pillars had obviously been made by laser rifles. Many of the crates that remained, even, had been burnt mostly to cinders. And then there were those claw marks on the beams…   
  
"Mr. Burnett," she asked in a hushed voice, "There were gargoyles in here fighting someone at one point, weren't there."   
  
The blonde man didn't turn around to face her, but continued walking. "Yes. A few years ago. Not long after they first awoke here, actually. It was a particularly nasty affair involving the mob boss Tony Dracon and a few stolen bits of particle beam weaponry."   
  
She took another careful look at the destruction. "None of them were… killed… in this incident?" she asked.   
  
This time Owen did turn around, and gave her a curious glance. "No, Miss Canmore. None of them were killed."   
  
They continued the walk in silence until Owen came to a stop in front of two large objects covered in thick black sheets. Here he raised the light to the ceiling, illuminating a thin chain hanging above his head. "Ah," he said. "These should work."   
  
Pulling the chain caused that small area to be lit by the few functioning lights above. Robyn squinted her eyes, allowing them to readjust to the now brighter room. Besides the two covered objects, there was nothing else of interest here – just several more empty crates.   
  
"Here you are," Owen was saying. "These here were designed by Professor MacDuff himself. They should be relatively simple to operate."   
  
Before she had the opportunity to ask what he meant by that, the blonde man had removed the covering from one of them, and her question was answered. The covered items were in fact vehicles – hover vehicles to be exact. At least that's what they appeared to be. They bore little resemblance to the ones she and her brother had used as Hunters, but she recognized the design nonetheless.   
  
These were apparently ridden while standing. It was a rather dangerous method of riding, but she supposed it allowed for much more maneuverability on the part of the driver. She approached them slowly, inspecting the operating mechanism at the front. It again was nothing like she was used to, but Owen was right in saying the design would be easy to follow.   
  
"Professor MacDuff designed these?" she asked after a few more moments of intense scrutiny.   
  
Owen adjusted his glasses a bit. "Yes, madam," he replied. "Designed and built, I believe. Mr. MacDuff is somewhat of a wizard when it comes to modern machinery."   
  
Robyn raised an eyebrow and muttered a low "I'll bet" as she looked for the ignition. "Do these work at the moment?"   
  
"They require a key."   
  
Looking up, she found Owen holding up his stone hand – where a small key dangled from a cord around his wrist. "I suggest first, however," he lowered his arm, "That you take a look at something else." He approached one of the crates that she'd assumed was empty earlier, and brought out something wrapped in the same dark cloth as the hover vehicles. He then unwrapped it and held it out for her to take.   
  
He watched as she turned the device over in her hands. "It's a highly concentrated energy gun – more commonly referred to by Mr. MacDuff as his 'lightning weapon.'"   
  
"An energy gun?" asked Robyn.   
  
"Yes." The man carefully refolded the black material into a square. "It's a particular favorite of the Professor's. I believe he was hoping you could take a look at it – help him with an upgrade, if you will."   
  
Robyn was still in awe of the gun's mechanics, so it was in a hushed voice that she replied "Yeah… Sure. I'd be happy to check it over."   
  
Focused as she was on the weapon in front of her, she missed the small satisfied smirk on Owen's face. With his good hand, he removed the small key from his wrist and held it out to her. After a pause, she exchanged the key for the gun.   
  
"Guess I'll have to check this baby out then," she said with a smile, and stepped gently up onto the small hovercraft.   
  
Owen's eyes widened all of a sudden, as if he had remembered something (or had stepped in something rather unpleasant – with Owen you never could tell) and he held out his hand as an indication that she should stop. "Wait," he said. "There was one other thing the Professor wanted you to take a look at."   
  
Robyn raised an eyebrow, unwilling at the moment to step down off her new perch. The bespectacled man searched around for a moment before he pulled a larger crate out from the bottom of a stack of three. Opening it up, he then pulled out what appeared to be an outfit of some sort. He unfolded it, and held it up for her inspection.   
  
"Mr. MacDuff though you might find this comfortable," he said with something of a smug expression.   
  
The former Hunter gawked. "You've GOT to be kidding me."   
  
+ + + + + + + + + +   
  
Demona watched with interest as the white gargoyle's original fear of her slowly melted into curiosity at his new surroundings. She watched as his eyes slowly strayed around the room, though it was obvious he was trying to be polite and make it look like they weren't. The numerous items she had collected over the millennia were enough to catch anyone's eye, much less those of someone who'd never seen anything outside of the tenth century.   
  
She watched this with both satisfaction and dread. On the one hand, the fact that she was the first gargoyle he had met in Manhattan meant that she would be able to tell him the truths of the world before Goliath got his overly sentimental talons on him. The unfortunate side to this was that it made her responsible for catching him up-to-date with the present year, a task she thoroughly dreaded. Explaining the intricacies of every appliance in her household was NOT something she was looking forward to in any way shape or form.   
  
For a moment, she considered just dropping the new gargoyle on Xanatos' doorstep anyway just to save herself the trouble.   
  
The thought didn't last long. No, she wasn't going to give up what might be her last opportunity.   
  
"Am I correct in assuming," she began, "that this is your first time away from Avalon?"   
  
This question seemed to take him by surprise, startling him a bit. He made a lovely effort at stuttering before he could respond. "Uh…no. I mean, yes! – No, I've never been away from Avalon before…"   
  
Demona gave him her most disarming smile as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair, trying to retain his dignity. "You seem nervous," she said. "There's no reason for you to be afraid."   
  
This didn't seem to calm the other gargoyle much, but he did try to return her smile. She noticed with some amusement, however, that he had clasped his hands together nervously under the table.   
  
"You'll have to forgive me," he answered. "It's just that the last time I saw you, you were firing a… laser? Wasn't it? …at my, er, brothers and sisters."   
  
The expression on Demona's face shifted immediately into one of genuine pained regret. The Magus found himself somewhat taken aback, realizing that this was the first truthful expression she'd had since she pulled the gun on him when he arrived. Noticing his gaze, she turned her head away slightly.   
  
"In that case, it's me you'll have to forgive." She glanced down at her hands, now curled together on the table in front of her. "Trust me when I say I was not myself when that happened. I would never fire unprovoked at any gargoyle I'd never seen. Not with our numbers being so few."   
  
"The Weird Sisters had you under a spell," he said quietly. "I know. Still… you have to admit it's a bit awkward."   
  
What was more awkward than that, in all reality, was the silence that followed. Both of them averted their eyes from each other, and the Magus glanced almost longingly towards the glass doorway he had entered from. For a few moments they merely sat and said nothing.   
  
It was Demona who eventually decided to break through the barricade. She rose to her feet so fast that the Magus nearly fell backwards out of his chair in his surprise.   
  
"I could take you on a tour of the city," she said, "…get you in tune with the way the world runs nowadays." She hazarded a smile. "Surely you're dying to know all about it."   
  
The white gargoyle did look interested, though the nervousness had not left him in the slightest bit. "That… sounds like something to do," he answered, believing that it would most definitely be in his best interests to agree. Seeing Demona cheerful was a much more likable option then seeing her aiming at him with a particle beam weapon. His expression brightened. "Yes, I think I would like that."   
  
--   
  
There wasn't as much of the night left as she would have preferred. Their venture could last no longer than a couple hours before they would have to head back to her manor.   
  
She watched him out of the corner of her eye as they glided towards the outskirts of the city. It was interesting to note that he seemed to be having some difficulties with the wind currents. She supposed the atmosphere was very different from the one he was used to back on Avalon.   
  
"These…buildings," he began murmuring. "They ARE buildings, aren't they?"   
  
She nodded.   
  
"Do people… live in them?"   
  
"Some of them."   
  
His eyes took in the whole area dazedly. She hoped he was paying enough attention to where he was flying.   
  
"There isn't much farmland around here, is there…" he continued to mutter, and she wasn't sure if he was asking her a question or just talking to himself. "Is this all the…city? Where do the people go? What do they do here? Who's in charge of everything? Do the buildings ever fall over…?"   
  
Demona sighed, trying to remember if she still had aspirin back at her manor.   
  
"Why is everything built so straight and boxed shaped?" he went on.   
  
"Because humans are lazy and that's the easiest to build," Demona muttered irritably. He seemed to not have heard her, and she swooped lower to the ground to try and get his mind back on gliding and away from questions.   
  
So when he gave an ecstatic "What's THAT??" and headed in the opposite direction she felt like ripping her own hair out.   
  
"Stop, Alfred!" she called after him. "Where are you going?"   
  
Her eyes caught sight of where he was heading to all too late. There was a woman standing on the top of a nearby building looking through the lens of a large telescope, and her new gargoyle companion seemed to see no trouble at all with gliding in and taking a better look.   
  
"Alfred, get back here!"   
  
The woman, a short haired brunette in ovular spectacles, gasped and took a step back as the Magus landed on the roof in front of her. "What IS that?" he asked, pointing to the telescope. The woman's nervousness seemed completely lost on him.   
  
She was about to respond when Demona alighted and scowled at her. She took a couple more steps back as the angry gargoyle turned her attention to her elated new acquaintance. "What are you DOING?" she hissed. "I don't know what you've been taught, but you don't just go wandering up and introducing yourself to random humans!"   
  
The Magus' wings drooped. "But..!"   
  
"I-it's all right!" the woman suddenly interrupted. The glare she received from Demona almost kept her from continuing, but she went on. "It's a… a telescope. Y-you can look through it if you want to."   
  
"I don't remember asking you for permission, human..." Demona began.   
  
"Really??" the Magus asked, eyes lighting up in excitement.   
  
The woman nodded, seemingly pleased to make the gargoyle happy.   
  
Demona's eyes went red in anger, but seeing her companion already kneeling before the telescope she sighed and tried to keep herself calm. It wasn't as though a peek through it could hurt much.   
  
She kept a close watch on the human female. She despised gargoyle supporters. She felt as though they were being treated like some cute endangered species that needed protection. Gargoyles needed no such thing – especially not from the same race that had been responsible for them becoming "endangered" in the first place.   
  
A gasp in the direction of the telescope brought her attention back to Alfred. He'd had to get down on one knee to make himself the same height as the woman. She almost snickered as his reaction to the device. He kept pulling his head away from the telescope, then looking back in the lens, then pulling away again.   
  
"Demona," he asked, voice somewhat shaken, "is that… the castle??"   
  
The red-headed gargoyle's eyes widened immediately, and she shoved the Magus away from the telescope. Bending down a bit, she took his place and gazed through the lens. It was not, as she had thought, focused on any array of stars, but to the Eyrie building and what it held atop it. Growling to herself, she realized she should have known this. Her own experience taught her that the New York skyline was too well lit to see many stars at night.   
  
"You! Human!" she spun around, prepared to rip the woman to shreds –   
  
Only to find that she was no longer there.   
  
In the moment she had taken to focus her attention on the telescope, the woman had apparently run off. No doubt she realized Demona wouldn't be pleased with what she'd really been viewing.   
  
"Idiot human," Demona spat. "How dare she spy on – "   
  
"Can we… can we go there?" a hesitant voice asked. The blue gargoyle looked towards her feet. The Magus was still sitting where she had knocked him down. His blue eyes were wide and expectant.   
  
A long sigh was his only reply. Demona's heart sank. Of course he would want to go there. It's not as though she could have hidden the place from him for very long – not when it was the tallest building in the city. She needed to keep him from there somehow…   
  
Luck must have been with her, at least this once. Looking up at the position of the moon, she realized they honestly didn't have the time to visit the castle, unless he wanted to spend the day there.   
  
"Not…tonight," she answered him. She saw his distraught reaction but went on. "It's nearly dawn and you're going – WE'RE going to have to head back to a protected place to rest."   
  
His eyes seemed to widen a bit as that realization struck him. "Oh! That's right…" he answered distractedly.   
  
Despite her urgings to do otherwise, Demona left the telescope in one piece. Leaping off the building, she had to wait a moment as Alfred straightened himself out and followed her. He seemed more subdued than he had been, and she didn't like that.   
  
The whole flight back he said nothing. He was disturbingly silent. Not one question about his new surroundings. He didn't even ask about her confrontation with the human woman they'd left behind. He was completely absorbed in his thoughts.   
  
(He'll be wanting to see the castle, of course,) Demona thought with a sigh. (It's not exactly like I can easily stop him either. Not without making myself out to be worse than I already have.)   
  
They said nothing to each other as they landed on the porch. Demona opened the sliding glass and let them inside, still watching her companion.   
  
(I'll bet anything he's been raised on tales of Goliath's 'greatness') she seethed. (What am I supposed to say? 'Everything you've ever been taught is a lie? Humans are a plague upon the earth?')   
  
She watched as Alfred looked at her uncertainly. He probably wondered where the best place to perch was. She motioned distractedly towards the closest empty room.   
  
"It will be safer inside," she said. "This building doesn't exactly look like the place you would normally see gargoyle statues outside."   
  
The white gargoyle nodded and made his way in the direction she pointed.   
  
(He was raised by humans, for crying out loud!) She wearily flopped down in her favorite chair. (After the way I've acted already, there's not way he'll believe me over them.) She'd tried it with Angela. She was her own _daughter_ and she'd been unsuccessful. There was a point in time when she would have jumped at the opportunity. Now she wasn't sure if it was even worth it.   
  
She put her head in her hands, wondering silently what she'd gotten herself into.   
  
"I'm so tired of this," she muttered, just as the sun peaked over the horizon.   
  
+ + + + + + + + + +   
  
Jason Canmore awoke to one of the most unpleasant sounds it is possible for anyone to wake up to. At first it confused him, because he couldn't make out what it was. He thought perhaps he might be dreaming – and if so he'd better get up soon.   
  
After it became apparent that he wasn't dreaming at all, he brought his head up from the floor where he'd been laying, and tried to discern where the horrendous noise was coming from.   
  
He realized after he did so that he was in a cell of some sort. It was an odd sort of holding pen, with walls that couldn't have been made with anything other then a thick plexiglass. An interesting sort of speaker molded into one of the walls allowed him to hear almost everything going on outside. Though at the moment, he wished he'd been rendered deaf.   
  
He soon spotted the source of his irritation. Not more than ten feet in front of him, there was a large sofa. It was a horribly ugly thing in sort of an olive green color with a great deal of wear and tear. One of his captors was sitting in the middle of it with an arm flung over the back.   
  
It was the female cyborg. And the noise that had been bothering him so much was the high pitched sound of her laughter. She was obviously amused by whatever she was watching on the television in front of her. Jason didn't think anyone should even be capable of making such a sound.   
  
He raised himself carefully into a sitting position. He was a bit surprised that he hadn't been bound in any way, but given his confinement and how there were probably two half-robotic beings guarding him, he figured they probably didn't think it necessary.   
  
Thankfully, after a few moments the laughter settled down to a chuckle and became infinitely more bearable. The reason for this was the scientist that had just stepped out of a hallway to his right, clad in a bathrobe and slippers.   
  
"I'm going to bed," he growled at the cybernetic woman. "Try and keep your cackling to a minimum. I find it difficult to even stomach, much less sleep through."   
  
"Sure thing, Doc," she responded with a salute, to which the good doctor rolled his eyes.   
  
The man glanced skeptically at the television screen. "What could possibly be on this early in the morning that you could find that humorous."   
  
The cyborg shrugged. "Some of this paid programming junk," she said. "Who would EVER want to buy a set of knives like that?"   
  
"People whose fingers don't do the job on their own," Sevarius muttered, shaking his head and walking back out of the room.   
  
The cybernetic female threw another mock salute at his retreating back before going back to her program.   
  
Trying to be as indiscreet as possible in his movements, Jason began scooting himself along the floor to the opposite wall of his cell. The last thing he wanted to do was attract her attention. He situated himself so that he had the best viewpoint of both doors leading out of the room. It wasn't as if it would really do him much good since he was confined, but it was nice to have a warning when someone was coming in.   
  
He also warily watched the female cyborg, hoping she remained oblivious to the fact that he was awake. He preferred that she not take interest in him just yet.   
  
Up until the previous night, he'd never heard of anyone that had that amount of cybernetics implanted in them. The man and woman had seemed to be more machine than human. He wondered if they'd been terribly disfigured in some sort of accident, or had lost several limbs. Perhaps making them part machine had been the only way of saving them.   
  
He nearly jumped as the door to his left opened. Almost lazily, the male cyborg walked in, a towel flung over his shoulders. His hair hung in a damp heap. Apparently he'd just come out of the shower.   
  
Their systems must have been advanced indeed if they weren't harmed under running water.   
  
To his annoyance, the male cyborg looked over his way as he entered. "Sleeping beauty's awake," he commented, absently drying a lock of hair with the towel.   
  
Jason cursed inwardly as the female cyborg spun her head around 180 degrees on her neck to see him. She grinned wickedly. "Well, so he is!"   
  
"Why am I here?" Jason asked, unconsciously edging back from them. "What do you really want from me?"   
  
"Now, now," the male replied, wagging a finger at him, "that's not for us to tell you."   
  
The female flipped herself around so that her elbows were rested on the back of the sofa and leaned her head upon her hands. "What Jackal means is we don't know," she said with a grin. "Our job was just to get you here."   
  
"The Good Doctor hasn't really disclosed anything with his 'lackeys' yet," Jackal smiled at him also, though the smile seemed a bit forced.   
  
(And the scientist is in bed,) Jason thought irritably. He wished now that he'd called out or something when the man had been in the room earlier. He wasn't looking forward to a day in this cell with a set of evil robotic twins without even knowing why he was there.   
  
"Aww…" the female cyborg mocked, hopping over the back of the sofa and peering through the glass at him like a creature at a zoo, "Is the widdle gimpy upset?"   
  
"Hyena, you look horribly obnoxious when you do that," Jackal smirked.   
  
*Jackal! Hyena!*   
  
All three of them looked up at the sound of the voice overhead. Sevarius was yelling at them through an intercom.   
  
*Less talk, more guarding! If I don't get any sleep today, YOU don't get any pay tomorrow!*   
  
The two cyborgs wore twin scowls as both of them flopped themselves back down on the sofa.   
  
Jason watched them for a while before settling back into a more comfortable position. Despite having woken up form a forced nap just minutes ago, he figured a bit more rest wouldn't hurt. It didn't look like he was going to be getting any of his answers that day anyway.   
  
+ + + + + + + + + +   
  
MacBeth looked up from his computer as there was a knocking on the door of his office. "Come in," he said.   
  
Robyn entered. She looked like she was about to ground him for life. There was an outfit slung over one of her arms. He recognized it and did his best to contain a bout of smirking.   
  
"What is this supposed to be?" she asked, holding it up for his inspection.   
  
"You don't like it?" he asked with faint amusement. "I thought you were found of black."   
  
"THAT outfit had style," she argued. "This looks like something Batman would wear."   
  
"Oh, I don't think so. Bat_woman_, perhaps." MacBeth smiled at her obviously not humored expression. "I don't understand all the fuss. I have one just like it. Have you tried it on?"   
  
Robyn gaped. "You have one just like... What are we, some sort of super crime-fighting duo out to save the masses?"   
  
MacBeth laughed. "Come now, it's not that bad. Have you tried it on? It's state of the art."   
  
Robyn glared.   
  
"Go on," MacBeth continued. "There's a ladies room just down the hall, isn't there?"   
  
"I can't believe you're serious," his partner replied. She then stormed out of the room to do what he asked. He heard the slamming of the ladies' room door. He couldn't help but chuckle. He'd wondered how she'd like the outfit. He'd designed it himself, after all. It wasn't as if it was incredibly revealing or anything.   
  
Minutes later, Robyn walked back in. She was wearing what was, for the most part, a replica of MacBeth's own black attire, complete with trenchcoat, but designed for a woman. She was busy adjusting a pair of fingerless gloves on her hands, and she refused to look at him.   
  
"Well?" he asked. "What do you think?"   
  
"I hate you," she deadpanned.   
  
"You like it, don't you," he stated, grinning madly.   
  
"Don't let it go to your head."   
  
--   
  
"Was that Lady MacBeth I just saw walking down the hallway?" Xanatos asked, sitting down at his desk. Owen came in behind him.   
  
"MacBeth was kind enough to design a uniform for her as well." The blonde looked highly amused.   
  
"The personal business of Miss Canmore aside," Xanatos went on, "how are our reports coming along?"   
  
Owen adjusted his glasses. "We managed to make contact with the clan in Ishimura, as well as their human protectors. They seem unwilling to trust us immediately - not surprising considering the last time they put their trust in a human outside their clan they almost ended up the main attraction in an amusement park. Their leader says he'll consider our request, but he wants to speak personally with both you and Goliath beforehand."   
  
"That can be arranged," Xanatos nodded. "Continue."   
  
"I have been unable to get a hold of the Guatemalan clan," he continued. "Gargoyles sightings in that area have become less frequent as of late. However, I received some interesting news just this morning."   
  
"Oh?"   
  
"Mr. Renard has offered to help us locate them, and has even promised protection for them once they are located. Apparently he feels he did them an injustice before and is willing to make up for it."   
  
Xanatos raised an eyebrow. "I have to admit," he said, "I was somewhat surprised when my father-in-law offered to help fund this little excursion of mine. I believe Goliath has earned his respect - a commendable achievement on our large friend's part." He accepted a few files from Owen as the blonde man handed them to him.   
  
"This is what information I've been able to gather on suspected gargoyle sightings over the last few months. There has been a remarkable increase in the sightings in England. I think the British gargoyles should be next on our list of targets."   
  
Xanatos thumbed through the small stack. "Is this really all there is?" he asked. "There are so few of them. Certainly a race as remarkable as theirs would leave a larger impact. Some of these don't even sound as though an actual gargoyle was involved. 'Gargoyles abducted me and used me for a lab experiment?' What are they now, extra-terrestrials?" He set the files aside and stood up. He began pacing behind his desk while Owen watched stoically. "Yet if we went and searched them out we risk revealing them to people who might not be as understanding of them as we are. Who knows how many clans could be hiding out there? It's mind boggling."   
  
Owen added nothing, merely watched as Xanatos' mind worked itself into a frenzy. The man paced back and forth several times before coming to an abrupt halt.   
  
"I'm sorry, Owen," he said. "I get carried away. How's our little recruiting process coming along?"   
  
"The clan is in full support of our venture," Owen began, not acknowledging Xanatos' unusual behavior. "I believe Detective Maza is also coming around. I understand that Detective Bluestone has been discussing the matter with her."   
  
Xanatos nodded to himself. "Good, good."   
  
Owen paused slightly before continuing. His employer noticed this and gave him his full attention, expecting less than positive news.   
  
The Labyrinth clan is... less willing to join your endeavor. It's not as thought they don't believe in the cause, they just -"   
  
"Don't trust me." Xanatos sighed deeply. "I didn't expect anything otherwise. Gaining back Talon's - Derek's trust is something that might take some time to accomplish."   
  
Owen noticed that he didn't claim the task was impossible.   
  
"Has there been any further news on a cure yet?" Xanatos asked.   
  
The blonde man shook his head. "No, not as of yet. There are no scientists available anywhere in the world at this time, it seems, that can match Dr. Sevarius' intellect when it comes to genetic engineering."   
  
"Yes, I was afraid that was the case," Xanatos scowled slightly. "That was why I hired him to begin with.   
  
Owen nodded. "The man is far ahead of his time."   
  
"The man is a freak job," his employer said simply. "He's so good at what he does because he feels no guilt. Any normal human being would cringe at even the prospect of some of his endeavors. He probably chopped the tails off squirrels as a child and surgically implanted them on pigeons, just to be able to point and laugh at them."   
  
Owen raised an eyebrow, but didn't disagree. "Are you certain that at this point they are even interested in a cure?"   
  
"Even if they aren't, I should at least be able to offer it to them." Xanatos examined the files on his desk again. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration and his whole demeanor suddenly shifted. "But that is a matter for a different time. I think you were right about sending something out to the English clan. Is MacBeth still in the building?" he asked without looking up.   
  
"I believe so."   
  
"Send him in here."   
  
--   
  
It was not only MacBeth that entered his room a few moments later, but Miss Canmore as well. The poor woman had not even had the opportunity to change out of her new uniform – which in all respects was a female version of MacBeth's own. She noticed his humored expression and didn't seem amused.   
  
"You wanted to see us, Xanatos?" MacBeth asked before Robyn could say anything.   
  
"Yes, Mr. MacDuff," he answered. He produced one of the files that Owen had given him and came around to the front of his desk. "As it turns out, I have your first assignment."   
  
"Do you now?" MacBeth replied. "And what would that be?"   
  
Xanatos placed the file in the man's outstretched hand. MacBeth sifted through it's contents while his employer went on.   
  
"There have been several sightings of gargoyles in England over the past few months. According to Goliath, there is a small clan living there – maybe not more than two – older gargoyles that might respond well to a diplomatic meeting of sorts."   
  
Robyn looked skeptical. "Only two? That hardly seems worth our time."   
  
"Two or two-hundred, they're still gargoyles," Xanatos replied. "And they have to have gotten there somehow. Perhaps there's more to their clan than we know about." He smiled, leaning back against his desk. "And I'm only sending one of you. The other has to attend the P.I.T rally this weekend – make a few enlistments, so to speak."   
  
Robyn was about to open her mouth to respond when MacBeth beat her to it. "Perhaps this would be a good time to test Miss Canmore's resourcefulness," he said.   
  
The former hunter kept her face straight. Test her resourcefulness indeed. He wanted to put her on a trial run, then, to see how well she could really handle this situation. This was meant to be her chance to prove herself to him – prove that she could really work on the gargoyles' behalf instead of against them.   
  
"Perhaps." Xanatos looked thoughtful.   
  
"You mean to send me there by myself?" she asked.   
  
The multi-billionaire gave her a rather vulpine smirk. "Like you said – there's only two of them." When she gave a resigned nod he went on. "I'll send an escort with you, so don't worry about being unprotected. I don't think the Quarrymen have learned of our organization yet, but it never hurts to be prepared."   
  
At the name of the anti-gargoyle group the sides of Robyn's mouth twitched somewhat, but she said nothing. That was not something she needed to dwell on at this time.   
  
"About this rally," MacBeth said, interrupting her thoughts, "Mrs. Yale did say that there would be film crews?"   
  
"WVRN is going to have one of its reporters running a live scoop on the whole event," Xanatos nodded. "Hopefully this will keep any actions of the Quarrymen to a minimum."   
  
"One would hope," MacBeth agreed.   
  
The phone on Xanatos' desk gave a beep, and he looked at it over his shoulder. Whatever it said on the I.D. seemed to irritate him. He didn't answer it. "Well, everything you need to know should be in that file," he said. "Good luck to the both of you. I hope you don't mind me shooing you out at this time. There seems to be an… important phone call waiting for me."   
  
MacBeth smiled. "Good luck with that too, Mr. Xanatos." Then he turned and exited. Robyn followed after only a slight moment's pause.   
  
When they were out the door, Robyn turned her irritation to her partner. "So you're testing me out, are you?"   
  
The older man grinned. "So to speak. I thought it would be a good start for you. That, and the fact that I have no intention of missing the P.I.T. rally."   
  
"Oh?"   
  
"Yes. I met the WVRN reporter that's covering that story during the debate myself and Mrs. Yale had at the studio not too long ago. I promised her a small history lesson the next time we met."   
  
Robyn raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see. A history lesson, eh?"   
  
It took a moment for MacBeth to catch the added meaning in her tone of voice and he stopped walking, startled. "Surely you don't think I have something else in mind?"   
  
"Whyever not? You seem pretty well taken care of for a man your age. I didn't think you were married." She smiled wryly.   
  
"That is not what I had in mind," he said as if that ended the matter, and continued walking. She was a bit stunned by his lack of comeback and followed.   
  
--   
  
Xanatos slammed down the receiver with a scoff. "If I never hear from that man again," he muttered, "I swear it will be too soon."   
  
He set about organizing the files on his desk and moving into a drawer on the side. Once having finished that, he did something he hadn't done for a long time – he crossed his arms and laid them and his head upon the desk, like a child at school.   
  
Owen appeared at his side not long afterwards. "Sir," he said, "if you don't mind me asking… Are you all right?"   
  
Xanatos looked up at him. Owen looked as unshakable as ever, but he could have sworn there was an aura of awkwardness around him. The blonde never had been very good at asking those types of questions.   
  
"I'm fine, Owen. Really. Thanks for your concern." He sat up, rubbing at his eyes.   
  
"Is there anything I can get you? Coffee, perhaps?"   
  
He thought about that. "Yes, Owen," he replied. "Coffee would be good right about now. I'm just a bit weary, is all."   
  
Owen nodded and went about doing as his employer asked. He looked back one more time before leaving the room. Xanatos had his head down once again.   
  
The man hadn't been acting right all day. He didn't know what was going on with him, and he hated when he didn't know Xanatos' plans. If anything this was a poor time for him to get sick. He'd make sure to bring the matter up with Fox when he saw her.   
  
But right now he had to get Xanatos his coffee.   
  
+ + + + + + + + + +   
  
The telescope was just barely big enough to fit through the door into her apartment. She had to angle it just right or else risk knocking the eyepiece – even when it was folded up properly. She managed to eventually maneuver it into her bedroom, where she placed it back inside its case against the wall. Adjusting her glasses, which had been somewhat dislodged during the move, she went about getting ready for work.   
  
She figured she was pretty lucky to still have the telescope. As much as the white gargoyle had seemed interested in the view, the female hadn't seemed very enthused at all. She'd feared for a moment that the angry creature would destroy it – perhaps even her, which is why she ran off. But apparently this hadn't been the case. She was glad for that. The telescope was old, and not the best of quality, but she wouldn't be able to afford a new one any time soon.   
  
She had just finished buttoning up her blouse when there was a knock on her door. She paused, looking up questioningly. Who could possibly be at her apartment at this time of day? She rarely had visitors.   
  
Peeping through the keyhole revealed a young man holding a bouquet of flowers. She was startled by this, and opened the door. Certainly they had the wrong address.   
  
"Special delivery for a Miss Allison Black," he said curtly.   
  
Nope. That was her name all right.   
  
"Oh…" she said, not knowing what else to do. She accepted the flowers, after which he nodded to her and left. She didn't remember until after he was gone that she should have asked him who they were from.   
  
Allison brought them inside and set them on her counter. There was an envelope attached to them with a long red ribbon. It took her a moment of struggling with the large and intricate bow that it had been tied in, but she finally managed to undo it and pull the letter off. The envelope was also red.   
  
Looking from the letter to the flowers and wondering still who had sent them, she opened up the envelope and pulled out the letter inside. It was short, with only a couple of lines written in dark red ink.   
  
_Dear Miss Black,  
You chose wrong._   
  
She didn't understand. She was about to set the letter down when it burst into flames. She cried out in fear as the bouquet suddenly began to shrivel and die, and a noxious gas began to spill from the remains.   
  
Allison backed away and covered her mouth with both hands as the gas steadily filled the room. She ran for her door only to find it locked. She panicked and banged desperately upon the door, screaming in between coughs. But there was no response.   
  
The gas was so thick now that she could hardly see. Her throat was on fire and she found herself unable to breathe. She could feel herself growing faint, and her knees buckled, sending her to the floor.   
  
Not understanding, and wondering why this was happening to her, she passed out on the floor.   
  
Unbeknownst to anyone, the window to her apartment opened gently from the outside, and the vapors were swept up in the early afternoon breeze, to be lost in the atmosphere.   
  
+ + + + + + + + + +   
  
SEVARIUS: (dramatically) "Yes! I betrayed you. You robbed me of my greatest creation – my ultimate achievement! I only took back what was mine…!" (whispered) "There. How was that?"  
XANATOS: …? 


End file.
